A study on groundwater contamination due to municipal solid waste dumping and its socio-economic implications

Abstract

In most cities in developing countries, the municipal solid waste is dumped in open dumps without proper lining which affects the environment. Due to unprecedented growth of population and urbanization, the generation of solid waste has increased and that has lead to environmental problems such as air, water and land pollution. Leachate from these dumpsites are a threat to both surface and groundwater supplies when water percolates through waste, picking up a variety of substances such as metals, minerals, organic chemicals, bacteria, viruses and other toxic materials. Contaminated groundwater in a peri-urban area of Chennai is the major issue to be focused in this thesis as it largely affects the surrounding community. Perungudi dumpsite in the southern part of Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) located within Pallikaranai marsh is growing rapidly. To understand the existing problem in the Perungudi dumpsite, a stakeholders meeting was conducted which revealed that the groundwater contamination is the major issue concerning the community. Also various studies previously done have shown that leachate oozing out from the dumpsite pollutes the groundwater leading to socio-economic problems. Hence, in this study an attempt has been made to address the problem in an integrated approach involving different disciplines to arrive at a holistic solution for the issue of groundwater contamination due to municipal solid waste disposal. The study aims to evaluate the environmental pollution associated with leachate entering the aquifer and the leachate migration into the groundwater using contaminant transport model. In addition, the socioeconomic and health implications due to water quality deterioration is studied to propose remedial measures for better management practices to alleviate the impacts of leachate on groundwater.