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Burial practice and its effect on groundwater pollution in Maiduguri, Nigeria

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Abstract

Cemeteries in Nigeria have never been perceived as having a significant potential contamination to the environment and are often located within residential setups. This work presents a study of special interest, because up till now, there are no known publications in the north-eastern states of Nigeria that investigated the relationship between cemeteries and the natural environment. The objective was to investigate whether burial practices affect the groundwater within the vicinity of an active municipal cemetery in the Gwange area of the Maiduguri metropolis, Borno State, Nigeria. Groundwater quality measurement from boreholes located at varying radial distances from the cemetery was also conducted. The result was compared with that of WHO and showed evidence of attenuation with distance. The method of burial is a chemical-free method and dictated by local culture in the area. The site is underlain by a sedimentary rock of the Chad Formation and is characterized by coarse-grained soils of high permeability coefficient (1.04 × 10−4–2.38 × 10−4 cm/s). The soil sample was composed of 3.2 to 8.4% fines which fall beneath the standard of 30% that is considered adequate for natural attenuation of contaminants. The soils were poorly graded and exhibit non-plastic properties. The grave invert, being predominantly higher than 1 m, seems to have significantly influenced the low levels or the absence of contaminants especially cations in the groundwater sample. The high levels of pH (9.5), EC (1874 μs/cm), NO3 (67.4 mg/l), NO2 (0.92 mg/l), PO4 (344.5 mg/l), and NH4 (1.03 mg/l) in groundwater samples (especially the cemetery borehole) are an indication that higher interment density over time presents a significant threat to groundwater quality.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, University of Maiduguri, P.M.B. 1069, Maiduguri, Nigeria

    Kabiru Abubakar Turajo & Baba Shehu Umar Ibn Abubakar

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Ramat Polytechnic, Maiduguri, Nigeria

    Midaryu Nankham Dammo

  3. Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

    Abimbola Yisau Sangodoyin

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  1. Kabiru Abubakar Turajo
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  2. Baba Shehu Umar Ibn Abubakar
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  3. Midaryu Nankham Dammo
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  4. Abimbola Yisau Sangodoyin
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Correspondence to Baba Shehu Umar Ibn Abubakar.

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Appendix

Appendix

A QUESTIONNAIRE ON SOIL AND GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION FROM CEMETERIES IN MAIDUGURI

Dear respondent,

The questionnaire is designed specifically for academic purpose; your co-operation is therefore solicited in answering the questions appropriately as information provided will be treated confidentially.

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Turajo, K.A., Abubakar, B.S.U.I., Dammo, M.N. et al. Burial practice and its effect on groundwater pollution in Maiduguri, Nigeria. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 23372–23385 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05572-6

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