The Contribution of Pesticide Management Practices to Aquifer Vulnerability around Lake Naivasha, Kenya

Purpose: Numerous approaches have been used or proposed for assessing groundwater vulnerability occurring in the vadose zone and groundwater regime, to models that weight critical factors affecting vulnerability through either statistical methods or expert judgment. Methodology: This study used responses from the personnel handling pesticides in farms around Lake Naivasha basin on pesticide management practices to calculate the value of aquifer vulnerability in the area. This paper did not include hydrogeological and hydrodynamic characteristics of the subsoil, which is the common method. Findings: The results showed that the contribution of pesticide management practices to aquifer vulnerable in the area was 45.5%. It was concluded that this contribution is quite high, needing the intervention of farm owners, managers and policy makers in order to protect the quality of groundwater in this area. Unique Contributions to Theory, Policy and Practice: This Study only used pesticide management practices in order to assess their independent contribution to aquifer vulnerability in the study area. This contribution has often been overlooked. It was clear from this study that pesticide management practices accounted for a higher magnitude of aquifer vulnerability.