Leachate Pollution of Soil of Enugu

Abstract

Owing to the careless disposal of wastes in Enugu State, leachate rich in selected sampled heavy metals are generated which pollute the surrounding soil of the area. Consequently, atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) was used to investigate the concentration of the pollutants (heavy metals) in the leachate and soil. Three (3) samples each of soil and leachates were collected in locations in the two study area (Coal Camp and Abakpa Nike) and analyzed for arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), iron (Fe), zinc (zn), copper (Cu), magnesium (Mg), Cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg). All the metals were empirically higher than the recommended standards. The study tested if there was an interaction between the leachate and soil of the area and revealed that an interaction exist between the two. Thus, heavy metal contamination of the soil is as a result of the leachate. This is attributed to careless disposal of wastes in the area giving rise to leachate. Efficient management of wastes, remediation of the polluted soil was recommended, as it can give rise to groundwater pollution or bioaccumulate in the food grown in the soil and pose health risks.