A study on contamination of ground and surface water bodies by leachate leakage from a landfill in Bangalore, India

B P Naveen,R K Malik,J Sumalatha

doi:10.1186/s40703-018-0095-x

Abstract

This paper discusses the effects of a potential leachate leakage from a municipal solid waste landfill, situated at Mavallipura, Bangalore, India, on the surrounding water bodies. The landfill area is spread over an area of about 100 acres that began accepting waste from 2005. MSW was deposited in non-engineered manner that has resulting in steep and unstable slopes, leachate accumulation within the MSW mass, and leachate runoff into nearby water bodies such as ponds and open wells. The current study investigates the physicochemical characterization of landfill leachate and nearby water bodies. The batch leach tests were conducted to know the heavy metal concentrations in the contaminated soil. A series of column tests were also conducted to estimate the migration rates of different contaminants through the soil. Furthermore, these transport parameters were considered as input for fluidyn-POLLUSOL model to estimate the migration of leachate from the landfill site to the surrounding water bodies.

Highlights

The municipal solid waste landfills create lots of environmental pollution due to landfill gas combustion, leakage of leachate and foul smells
Leakage of leachate affects the surrounding environment the most, especially the surface and ground water bodies because the leachate consists of high concentrations of heavy metals, organic compounds and toxic contents
Several cases have been reported around the world related to pollution of water bodies which were caused by municipal solid waste landfills [1]

Summary

Introduction

The municipal solid waste landfills create lots of environmental pollution due to landfill gas combustion, leakage of leachate and foul smells. Several cases have been reported around the world related to pollution of water bodies which were caused by municipal solid waste landfills [1]. The leachate from MSW landfills may leak into groundwater aquifers due to rainfalls, spread into the adjacent river system by groundwater flow and pollute the surrounding environment. This process does not stop even after the landfill activities have stopped receiving solid waste. It is very essential to keep assessing and monitoring the surroundings of decommissioned landfill sites

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