Characterization of Leachate and its Impact on the Groundwater Quality at Shivari Landfill, Lucknow

Abstract

Water is essential for living and is used for drinking, irrigation and other purposes. Groundwater, in general terms, is defined as water that is present beneath the underlying rocks in the earth’s surface. When an unwanted contaminant changes the physical, biological and chemical properties of water, it is known as water pollution. A Landfill is the most common waste disposal practices used in many parts of the world. It is the cheapest of all waste management practices. The aim of this project is to characterize the landfill leachate and assess the groundwater quality in the vicinity of landfill to find out the impact of landfill leachate on groundwater. The samples were taken for both groundwater and the leachate to evaluate physico-chemical properties along with heavy metal assessment. The samples for leachate were collected from the outlet near the landfill site while the groundwater samples were collected from the handpump near the landfill site. It was observed that the mean value of TDS, EC, CL, Total Alkalinity, Mg, Na and Mn are found exceeding the permissible limits of BIS and WHO standards.