Abstract
The environmental impacts of the Kabd Landfill on the soil and groundwater in Kuwait were evaluated. Physical and chemical analyses were carried out on thirty pairs of surface, subsurface soil and five groundwater samples. The groundwater samples are collected from boreholes nearby and downstream of the landfill while the soil samples collected along six profiles. The groundwater samples were geochemically analyzed to determine the total dissolved solids, cations, anions and heavy metals, particularly Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), Cadmium (Cd), Nickel (Ni), Chromium (Cr) and Aluminum (Al), Lithium (Li), Boron (B), Fluoride (F) and Vanadium (V). The soil samples were geochemically analyzed to determine concentration of Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb), Nickel (Ni), Iron (Fe), Aluminum (Al) and organics. The results show that the soil and groundwater are contaminated with high TDS, Na, Ca, Mg, Cl, SO4 and heavy metals, especially Ni, Cd, Cu, Al, V and F. The heavy metal concentrations in both the soil and groundwater samples are compared to the World Health Organization (WHO) standard permissible limits. The results revealed that the Zn, Li, B and Fe metals are below the WHO limits for consumption. The soil lithology, natures of dumping, the depth of quarry and the depth to the groundwater level play roles in leachate generation and groundwater contaminations. Such leachate may be originated from the capillary fringe water, moisture content and rising water table, due to its close level at the bottom of the waste disposal site. The organic strength of the soil was reduced due to waste decomposition and continuous gas flaring. Re-designing of sanitary landfills to prevent leachate from getting to the groundwater and adoption of clean technology for a sustainable land management program for reclamation is recommended.
Highlights
The state of Kuwait is situated at the northeastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula
The research deals with evaluation of the environmental impacts of the Kabd Landfill on the soil and groundwater
Physical and chemical analyses were carried out on five groundwater samples collected from boreholes nearby and downstream of the landfill and thirty pairs of surface and subsurface soil samples
Summary
The state of Kuwait is situated at the northeastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula. It comprises an area of approximately 17,600 km, with the Geographic Coordinates of 30 ̊20'15"N and 47 ̊39'29"E (Figure 1). The landfill sites are considered as an environmental problem for the urban areas The impacts of these landfills, are growing especially after the urban expansion opened, where some of landfills became inside the residential areas or near to them (Figure 2). Some of these landfills are closed, others re-opened to receive thousands of tons per day of waste such as Kabd solid wastes landfill. This landfill was introduced in 1999, to fill the remnants of animal shelters and household waste.
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