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Assessment of municipal solid waste landfilling practices on the groundwater quality and associated health risks: a case study of Mardan-Pakistan

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Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the quality of groundwater affected due to the municipal solid waste (MSW) used as a landfill. To assess the impacts, 13 groundwater samples were collected from solid waste dumping sites (SWDS) and 13 from safe sites (SS). Groundwater was analyzed for pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity (EC), total hardness (TH), Cl−, Ca+2, K+1, NO−2, NO−3, SO4−2; heavy metals such as Pb, Cr, Mn, Cu, Ni, Zn, Cd, Fe; biological parameter such as total coliform. Waste samples collected from SWDS showed that food and garden waste had the highest percentage by weight (30.5%) followed by fines (17.3%). The two groups (SWDS and SS) differ significantly for the mean value of EC, TH, Na, Ca, NO3− and SO4−2, Ni and TC. Samples collected from SWDS (84%) were found contaminated with total coliform (TC) ranged 2–22 (No./100 ml). It was analyzed that concentration of total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, EC, TH, NO3−, SO4−2, NO2−, Ca+2, Na+, TC, Cr, Ni, Zn, Cd and TC were more in the samples collected from 70–130 feet than 140–200 feet. TC found in 70–80 feet depth was significantly different from the rest of the groups. A questionnaire survey was also conducted from the people living near the dumping sites to assess the frequency of the water-related disease the community is suffering from. The results of the questionnaire survey revealed negative correlation between the diseases and distance from the landfill sites, and significant correlation was only observed for typhoid, cholera, skin allergies and gastroenteritis. The study confirmed that using MSW as a fill material has contaminated the groundwater quality, and leveling of land through MSW is not safe. Deep drilling is recommended for extraction of groundwater in the contaminated area to minimize the associated health risks.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Protection Agency, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

    Muhammad Israr

  2. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan

    Shahla Nazneen, Neelum Ali, Hizbullah Khan & Sardar Khan

  3. Community and Family Medicine Department, Rehman Medical College, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

    Ali Raza

  4. Northwest General Hospital and Research Centre, Peshawar, Pakistan

    Neelum Ali

  5. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Bahria University H-11/4 Campus, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Said Akbar Khan

  6. Faculty of Life Sciences and Informatics, The Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering, and Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan

    Jawad Ali

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  1. Muhammad Israr
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  2. Shahla Nazneen
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  3. Ali Raza
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  4. Neelum Ali
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  5. Said Akbar Khan
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  6. Hizbullah Khan
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  7. Sardar Khan
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  8. Jawad Ali
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Contributions

MI and HK contributed to the study conception and design. Field survey and lab analysis were performed by MI and SAK. Questionnaire was prepared by AR, and questionnaire survey was conducted by JA. The first draft of the manuscript was written by SN and MI. Figures and graphs were prepared by SN and NA. Data analysis and statistical techniques were applied by SN and SK. All the associated health risk assessment was conducted by AR. All authors discussed the results and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Shahla Nazneen.

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Responsible Editor: Amjad Kallel

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Israr, M., Nazneen, S., Raza, A. et al. Assessment of municipal solid waste landfilling practices on the groundwater quality and associated health risks: a case study of Mardan-Pakistan. Arab J Geosci 15, 1445 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-10725-y

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