Assessment of site suitability for landfill construction in Gbekele, Nigeria

Abstract

Efficient management of solid waste is one problem which environmentalist, health workers and city planners face in Nigeria. This problem caused by the generation of over 80 million kilograms of solid waste per day requires adequate and modern facilities to guarantee a healthy environment. That is why this study seeks to evaluate the suitability of the study location for the siting of a landfill with negligible impact on the environment and the people of the area. In carrying out this study, geoelectric survey, geological logging and laboratory test of borehole cuttings were employed in determining the geotechnical and hydrogeological properties relevant for the siting of landfill. Other attributes such as topology and distances to major rivers, settlements, railway and airport were also determined in this study. Window based groundwater models known as WINFLOW and WINTRAN were used to investigate the migration patterns of selected contaminants and travel times from the landfill. The gradient of the area and the values obtained from the social economic parameters studied showed that the landfill will not have negative impact on the surrounding environment. Analysis of the groundwater flow, contaminant field and transport modelling showed that there is a diminutive risk of contamination from the landfill reaching the various settlements around the landfill and the major river. From the findings it is recommended that the landfill be sited in the area.