PHYSICO-CHEMICAL STUDIES OF SOIL AND GROUNDWATER AROUND A MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE DUMPSITE
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PHYSICO-CHEMICAL STUDIES OF SOIL AND GROUNDWATER AROUND A MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE DUMPSITE
ABSTRACT
The physicochemical and heavy metal contents of borehole water and soil samples collected at a municipal solid waste dumpsite in Gombe, Gombe State, Nigeria, were investigated in this study. The samples were taken twice in 2015, during the wet and dry seasons.
The following parameters were determined from the water samples: Dissolved oxygen (DO), Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), Chemical oxygen demand (COD), Total dissolved solids (TDS), Total suspended solids (TSS),
anions (PO43-, NO2-, NO3-, SO42-, Cl-, NH4+-N), essential metals (Ca, K, Mg, Na) and heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Co, Zn, Cu, Cr, Cd, Pb) concentrations, soil Except for high PO43- content (1.13 to 2.17 mg/l) recorded for borehole water samples in both seasons and Cr (0.01 to 1.2 mg/L),
which exceeded the WHO permissible limit of 0.1 mg/l and 0.05 mg/L, the results revealed that most of the physico-chemical parameters analysed recorded for borehole water and control water samples in both seasons were below the WHO international standards for drinking water.
During the dry season, the borehole water sample showed a substantial rise (P0.05) in Fe, Cr, Mn, Na, and K contents, as well as a significant decrease in SO42-. In both seasons, the heavy metal levels of soil samples from the dumpsite and 20m east, west, south, and north of the dumpsite, as well as from the control site, were all below WHO international guidelines.
Heavy metal contents in dumpsite soil samples were significantly higher in both seasons: Pb (9.90 and 11.82 mg/kg), Zn (137 and 146 mg/kg), Ni (12.56 and 11.82 mg/kg), Cr (3.60 and 4.05 mg/kg), Cd (9.05 and 12.2 mg/kg), and Mn (94.0 and 91.2 mg/kg) in both seasons than the control; Pb (3.78 mg/kg), Zn (50.90 mg/kg),
Ni (2. Heavy metal concentrations in soil samples collected 20m east of the dumpsite were likewise substantially higher (P0.05) than in the control. According to the findings of this study, the solid waste dumpsite has an impact on the natural quality of the surrounding ecosystem. As a result, indiscriminate municipal solid waste dumping at the dumpsite should be organised or forbidden.
CHAPITRE ONE
1.1 Introduction
Nigeria’s rapid population growth and lifestyle changes have resulted in a major increase in the output of municipal solid waste (MSW). It encompasses both home and commercial garbage, which makes for a minor portion of the total solid waste stream in affluent countries. A high volume of rubbish can cause a number of issues for the people who live there.
Population growth has contributed to an increase in the quantity and diversity of garbage. If garbage collection, transportation, and disposal are not handled appropriately, they can cause a variety of issues,
many of which are related to human health and the environment.1,2 Municipal solid waste management is a vital component of urban infrastructure that ensures environmental and human health protection.3,4.
In developing nations, the accelerated rise of urban population due to unplanned urbanisation, increased economic activity, and a lack of training in modern solid waste management practises challenges efforts to improve solid waste services5.
The uncomfortable concern is that depositing rubbish on soil is one way in which soil quality is deteriorated. Human health is harmed by polluted soil by direct human touch or inhalation of polluted airborne dust, as well as ingestion of garden vegetables cultivated on abandoned dumpsites or near active dumpsites6.
Solid waste management has become a global issue, particularly in developing countries. In Nigeria, for example, it is not uncommon to see waste mounds polluting the streets, deposited in drains, abandoned plots, and water bodies,
resulting in the spread of contagious diseases7. The problem appears to be unabated, owing to causes such as urbanisation, population increase, improved living standards, and a lack of funding to appropriately manage solid waste7.
Improper solid waste management has led in major ecological, environmental, and health issues. Such practises contribute to widespread contamination and the spread of diseases8. The disposal of solid waste is a major public concern.
The vast majority of municipal solid waste disposal sites in Nigeria remain open dumps. Solid waste disposal in landfills endangers groundwater and surface water quality by forming toxic liquids known as leachate9.
Leachate is often formed during the dissolving process in a landfill. Leachate, which occurs at the end of degraded solid waste and is mixed with precipitates of surface water, can harm the environment. As a result, this leachate has severely damaged the surface water collection system (rivers, streams, lakes), subsurface collection system (groundwater reservoirs), and solid system (various soil layers).
Landfills are a source of groundwater and soil pollution because they produce leachate and transmit contaminants to other parts of the ecosystem8. Heavy metal poisoning of soil, water, and air, even at low concentrations, is recognised to have an influence on the ecosystem and human health.
These metals are also a long-term threat to groundwater and ecosystems10,11. The WHO confirmed that lead consumption causes abortion, neonatal mortality, foetal deformity, genetic mutation, delayed growth, intoxication, respiratory depression, and chromosomal abnormalities. Based on these, researchers proposed methods for limiting waste creation and environmental effects12.
Environmental monitoring is a collection of activities that give environmental managers with chemical, physical, geological, biological, and environmental, social, and health data.13. The systematic gathering of data for environmental monitoring is used to determine: the actual environmental consequences of a pollutant.
The degree of implementation and success of environmental protection measures when successfully integrated with the environmental system for the project, environmental monitoring can provide valuable feedback about the effectiveness of environmental protection measures, and in turn monitoring may be related to the post project evaluation12,13.
Soil quality indicators are monitored throughout time to identify changes or trends in the functional state or quality of the soil. Monitoring can be used to identify whether management practises are successful or whether additional management modifications or adjustments are required.14,15.
In Nigeria, agencies such as the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA), the Ministry of Environment, and Environmental Sanitation Authorities, as well as local governments, are in charge of developing a clear plan of action for the disposal and management of waste generated on a daily basis in our society.
GOSEPA (Gombe States Environmental Protection Agency) is no exception. The fact that garbage dumps have created traffic delays in some important areas of our urban centres is an example of poor refuse dump management in Nigerian towns and cities16.
Residents in the current study area use borehole water near the dumpsite for drinking and other household activities, while the soil around the dumpsite is used for agricultural. It is required to conduct soil and water analysis on a regular basis to assess the impact of wastes and some pollutants on soil and groundwater.
This will contribute significantly to the development of approaches for addressing the problem of soil and groundwater pollution, as well as the impact of municipal solid waste on the environment, through suitable disposal/management strategies.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Humans and other living species rely on a healthy environment to maintain their health. The dumpsite under investigation is fairly near to residential areas. Borehole water is available in the residential sections, and a creek near the dumpsite is used for drinking water and other domestic purposes by residents.
The land surrounding the dumpsite is used for farming. Rapid population expansion and industrialization, along with indiscriminate solid waste disposal at the site and little or no organised solid waste management strategies, have contributed to an alarming increase in the volume of solid wastes at the dumpsite. The physical, chemical, and biological qualities of the wastes at the dumpsite vary.
When it rains, the waste water created by the decomposing waste items may run into a nearby surface stream and leach into the subsurface soil, then into groundwater aquifers, contaminating the groundwater and soil around the dumpsite. The soil texture around and even outside the dumpsite contains a high percentage of coarse sand, which is ideal for leachate conveyance.
To establish the quality of the groundwater and soil surrounding the dumpsite, the chemical constituents of the groundwater and soil samples must be studied. The findings are intended to disclose the current quality of the groundwater and soil surrounding the dumpsite.
1.3 Aims and Objectives of the Study
1.3.1 Aim
To investigate the physicochemical parameters of soil and groundwater in the vicinity of a municipal solid waste dumpsite in the Gombe metropolis.
1.3.2 Particular Goals
To evaluate the physicochemical properties of groundwater samples collected from the dumpsite’s east, west, north, and south sides.
To compare the physicochemical properties of groundwater samples obtained at the dumpsite and a control sample (800m away from the dumpsite) to the international drinking water standard.
To evaluate the physicochemical properties of soil samples collected around the dumpsite.
To compare the physicochemical properties of soil samples collected around the dumpsite with those from a control site (500m away) and those collected from outside the dumpsite (20m).
The heavy metal concentrations of groundwater and soil samples from the dumpsite and samples from the control site were compared.
To compare the physicochemical properties and heavy metal contents of groundwater and soil samples collected during the rainy and dry seasons.
1.4 Scope of The Study
This study looked at the physicochemical characteristics and heavy metals in groundwater and soil samples collected at Herwagana’s municipal solid waste dumpsite in Gombe city, Gombe State, North East Nigeria, during the rainy and dry seasons.
The groundwater parameters studied were pH, temperature, conductivity, turbidity salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), nitrate, nitrite,
phosphate, sulphate, chloride, calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, and heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Co, Zn, Cu, Cr, Cd, The parameters were evaluated using normal analytical procedures, and the heavy metals were determined using (AAS, unicam 969).
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