Effect of Domestic Waste Leachates on Quality Parameters of Ground Water.

Abstract

Water is an elixir of life. Percolating groundwater provides a medium through which wastes particularly organics can undergo degradation into simpler substances through biochemical reactions involving dissolution, hydrolysis, oxidation and reduction processes. Ground water samples in and around dumpsite and landfills located in Kubuwa were studied to assess the effect of wastewater leachates on groundwater resources in the particular area. Groundwater samples were collected from 5 different bore-wells in and around relative distances from dumpsites. EC values ranged between 30 and 138 μS/cm, TDS ranged between 95 mg/L and 120 mg/L, SS ranged between 10 and 23 mg/L while that of the evening ranged between 11 and 15 mg/L, nitrate values ranged between 0.18 to 0.80 mg/L for the early morning samples while the late evening samples which ranged between 0.25 and 0.43 mg/L, while concentration of Sulphate in the morning water sample ranged between 168 and 213 mg/L while that of the evening ranged between 20 and 45 mg/L. The government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should create landfills and dumpsites far away from residential homes and better still recycling plants should be put in place to recycle the various forms of waste products from homes.