Assessment of Groundwater Quality in and around the Jawaharnagar Municipal Solid Waste Dumping Site at Greater Hyderabad, Southern India

Abstract

Rapid urbanization and population growth are largely responsible for exponentially increasing rate of solid waste in the urban areas. The proper management and recycling is a major problem of Municipal Corporation which is great concern of human health and environment. The purpose of this study is to assess groundwater contamination in and around of Jawaharnagar Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) dumping site due to heavy metals and its relationship between hydrochemical data. Groundwater samples were collected from the wells located in the vicinity of the dumping site and its surrounds in a watershed. The samples were analyzed for physicochemical properties as well as for major ion concentrations such as Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, CO32ˉ, HCO3ˉ, Clˉ, NO3ˉ, Fˉ and SO42ˉ using ion chromatograph. Results suggest the high concentrations of major ions such as Ca2+, Mg2+, and F− is observed in groundwater indicating differential weathering of minerals present in granite rocks in the study area. A good number of samples are showing higher values for NO3ˉ than that of World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water guideline values. This demonstrates the oxidation of ammonia and similar sources from lechates originating from municipal solid waste of the study area. Further, heavy metals such as Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn are analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer. The data revealed elevated concentrations of Arsenic (0.04-0.36 ppb), Cadmium (0.00-0.09 ppb), Chromium (24.0–28.0 ppb), Copper (0.61–2.9 ppb), Iron (11.99-35.26 ppb), Manganese (1.04-107.2 ppb), Lead (0.19-1.32 ppb) and Zinc (1.49 –49.59 ppb). The present study demands proper management of landfill site and municipal solid waste to reduce further groundwater contamination via percolation of toxic substances.