Investigating the Influence of Natural and Human Activities on Drinking Water Quality in Waterberg, South Africa

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Ga-Nkidikitlana is a village in the Northern part of the Limpopo Province, South Africa, at Waterberg. The area is renowned for its dry deciduous forest and bushveld ecosystem. The study's objective was to evaluate the influence of natural and human activities on drinking water quality in Ga-Nkidikitlana Village. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> In 2023, thirty water samples were collected from three sources: Rivers, boreholes and reservoirs. All samples were transported to the water quality laboratory for analysis, where standard APHA methods were utilized. The water parameters, such as pH, EC, TDS, TH, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Zn and V were measured. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to show the correlation between the factors and locations. <b>Results:</b> The study found that the cations and anions in the water followed a trend of Na<sup>+</sup>>Mg<sup>+2</sup>>Ca<sup>+2</sup>>K<sup>+</sup>>Fe<sup>+2</sup>. The PCA results showed that the river samples differed from the others. However, the water samples from Ga-Nkidikitlana Village were grouped into three components, with the borehole and reservoir samples showing a correlation with sodium, magnesium and calcium. The study also revealed that pH had a negative correlation with the water's total hardness, while electrical conductivity (EC) had a positive correlation with the total hardness of water samples. Total coliform was detected in all water samples, with the highest levels found in boreholes. However, only low levels of <i>Escherichia coli</i> were detected in all samples. <b>Conclusion:</b> The microbial contamination levels in the water samples are safe for soil irrigation, but they should be monitored for drinking purposes. Also, the salinity levels in the water samples were higher than average, indicating caution should be taken when using the water for any purpose.