Assessment and Impact of Leachate Generated by the Landfill City in Abidjan on the Quality of Ground Water and Surface Water (M’Badon Bay, Côte d’Ivoire)

Abstract

The municipal Akouedo landfill of the city of Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire) is composed of more than 60% of household waste. It lacks a leachate collecting and treatment device. To highlight the impact of the leachate on the receiving environments, some sampling campaigns of leachate, groundwater and surface waters were conducted from June 2013 to January 2014. Analyses of leachate samples revealed relatively high concentrations of trace metals: Fe (6450 ± 8690 µg/L), Cu (400 ± 272 μg/L), Zn (520 ± 240 μg/L), Cd (113 ± 105 μg/L), Pb (550 ± 237 μg/L), Ni (312 ± 97 μg/L) and Co (77 ± 56 μg/L). Fe is the most abundant chemical element. The analysis of groundwater and surface indicates that the levels of trace metals in these waters are higher than WHO standards except Zn.