Assessment of groundwater pollution near Aba-Eku municipal solid waste dumpsite

Abstract

Municipal solid waste (MSW) dumpsite constitutes a major anthropogenic point source of leachate contamination to the ambient groundwater and poses a significant threat to the geo-ecosystem. This study investigated the pollution of groundwater by leachate emanating from Aba-Eku MSW dumpsite in Ibadan, Nigeria, using bacteriological, hydrochemical, and geophysical techniques. There is a diversity of bacteria in the leachate and the dominant phyla being proteobacteria (83%) and firmicutes (17%). The mean concentrations (mg/L) of Mn, Fe, Al, Cu, Mo, and Cr in the leachate samples were above the World Health Organization wastewater discharge limits. The hydrochemical parameters of the groundwater samples around the dumpsite were generally within the permissible limits, except for K and Cl−; which invariably indicate major inputs from water-rock interaction and minor contributions from the dumpsite. Three geoelectrical layers were indicated from the vertical electrical sounding data, which are the topsoil, the lateritic clay layer, and the weathered basement. Low resistivity values of 5–33 Ωm and 3–24 Ωm were obtained within 2mand 5.5mdepths for the topsoil and the lateritic layer, respectively; while the 2-D subsurface model reveals leachate plume beyond 5 m. Although the MSW leachate is heterogeneous, the hydrochemical data show that the aquifer around the dumpsite has not been seriously polluted with the leachate, but there is a continuous percolation of leachate into the soil subsurface, based on the geophysical findings. Discontinuing waste dumping and groundwater extraction, which would over time reduce the leachate plume, aremeasures to enhance the groundwater quality in the area.