Evaluation of the Effects of Municipal Solid Waste Disposal on Groundwater Quality

Abstract

This research investigated the impact of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) disposal on groundwater along Port Harcourt/Aba expressway open dumpsite in Obio Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria. To determine the groundwater quality, four water samples were collected at the dumpsite in different distances (25, 50, 75, and 100 meters). The samples were examined for a number of physical and chemical characteristics, including total dissolved solid (TDS), pH, turbidity, color, odour, Total hardness (TH),  , ), , ), , Electrical conductivity (EC), , Alkalinity, , , Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Total Heterotrophic Bacteria (THB), Total Coliform Bacteria (TCB), Fecal Coliform Bacteria (FCB). To determine the acceptability of the water samples, the concentration of physical and chemical constituents were compared with the Nigeria Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDWQ) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The findings revealed that, with the exception of pH, EC, Mn, Fe, TCB, and turbidity in boreholes BH1 and BH2, all measures of water quality were within the permissible limits. Additionally, the water quality index (WQI) was used to assess the overall quality of the groundwater. It was found that the boreholes (BH1 and BH2) that were closest to the dumpsite had higher WQI values (148.652 and 64.118, respectively), suggesting that the dumpsite may have contaminated the water, while the boreholes (BH3 and BH4) had lower WQI values (23.290 and 14.622, respectively), indicating that the groundwater quality was better. According to the study, the distance between a dumpsite and a groundwater source (borehole) affects the quality of the groundwater. Therefore, a safe distance of at least 75 meters separates a dumpsite from a borehole.