Assessment of environmental impacts of the Céu Azul Dump, Camaragibe/PE, Brazil

Abstract

Dumps consist of inadequate disposal of solid waste, causing soil and water contamination, air pollution, and proliferation of vectors. After the landfill's closure, it continues to cause environmental damage and public health, requiring adequate site remediation. Thus, an ecological diagnosis is necessary to characterize the environmental situation found before carrying out the closure project. Therefore, this diagnosis should represent the first stage and the basis for all projects, where it is possible to describe and identify environmental impacts and point out the best ways to mitigate these generated impacts. This study aimed to evaluate the ecological effects of the Céu Azul dump in Camaragibe, Metropolitan Region of Recife, Pernambuco. The investigation began employing the physiographic characterization of the area, where the climate, hydrology, geology, geomorphology, and pedology of the region of the old dump. Subsequently, field and laboratory tests, such as SPT-type soundings, infiltration tests, flow plates, soil collection, and surface and underground water quality in the surrounding area, were carried out. Regarding the assessment of environmental impacts, the main impacting factors verified in areas of final waste disposal were first drawn up (whether or not an occurrence was confirmed). After this step, each impact was hierarchized in such a way as to allow a more precise visualization of the diagnostic scenario. In the case analyzed, the Camaragibe municipal dump has negative environmental impacts, which require remediation of the area.