Studies on the Level of Contamination of Leachates from Municipal Solid Waste Open Dumpsite in Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria

Leachates are known to contain dissolved or suspended solid materials which may be toxic when it finds its way to water bodies or land meant for agricultural purposes. The study however investigated the physicochemical properties, anions and heavy metal composition of leachates from the solid waste dumpsite at Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria so as to ascertain the level of contamination by comparing values obtained with the FEPA/WHO standards. Analyses were carried out using leachates obtained from two portions of the sites marked active site and abandoned site (withdrawing dumpsite). The result of the physicochemical analysis revealed that there was significant increase at p<0.05 of mean values of Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solid (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Total Hydrocarbon Content (THC) of the active site when compared to values from the abandoned site. Analysis has shown that leachate from the active site is a potential source of heavy metal poisoning and a source of pollution with potential effect on the environment and neighboring underground water if the present trend is not controlled.