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Geophysical and Geochemical Characterization of Solidwaste Dumpsite: A Case Study of Chowa Gujar, Peshawar (Part of Indus Basin)

Author

Listed:
  • Nabeel Afzal Butt

    (National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25120, Pakistan)

  • Muhammad Younis Khan

    (National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25120, Pakistan)

  • Seema Anjum Khattak

    (National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25120, Pakistan)

  • Gulraiz Akhter

    (China-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences, CAS-HEC, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
    Department of Earth Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan)

  • Yonggang Ge

    (Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
    Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Earth Surface Processes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China)

  • Muhammad Tahir Shah

    (National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25120, Pakistan)

  • Asam Farid

    (Arab Company for Laboratories and Soil, Al Khobar 34217, Saudi Arabia)

Abstract

Open and non-engineered dumping is a typical method for solid waste disposal in most cities of Pakistan. This practice of waste dumping poses a serious threat to the surrounding ecosystem and human population due to the release and transport of decomposed organic matter, i.e., leachate from dumpsite into the groundwater. The present study was conducted over a non-engineered and open dumpsite (Chowa Gujar), located in the outskirts of the highly populated city of Peshawar by using integrated geophysical techniques such as electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and geochemical techniques. The main goal was to delineate the characterization and depth of buried waste, to map the subsurface extension of contaminant plumes towards agricultural land and groundwater table and the concentration of heavy metals (HMs) in dump and agricultural soil. Geophysical results showed that the thickness of buried waste (predominantly composed of domestic waste) was around 4 m and the leachate plumes have percolated to the adjacent agricultural land. A range of heavy metals (mg/kg) such as Cr (20.5–26.6), Cd (2.6–5.7), Pb (0.35–21.25), Ni (2.5–53.05), Cu (29–68.3), Zn (45.7–77), and Co (18.9–23.2) have been found in the agricultural land adjacent to the dumpsite. The findings demonstrated that combined use of ERT and GPR successfully characterize the buried waste and spread of pollutant plumes spatially and vertically from Chowa Gujar dumpsite. The anomalous geophysical signatures were confirmed by geochemical characterization. The movement of leachate plumes towards agricultural land and groundwater table and the concentration of HMs in soil show that Chowa Gujar dumpsite is a potential source of contamination not only to the surrounding population but also to the agricultural land, surface (Bara River), and subsurface water bodies. In the study region, there is an urgency to take remediation and mitigation measures to reduce the level of pollution created by the dumpsite.

Suggested Citation

  • Nabeel Afzal Butt & Muhammad Younis Khan & Seema Anjum Khattak & Gulraiz Akhter & Yonggang Ge & Muhammad Tahir Shah & Asam Farid, 2022. "Geophysical and Geochemical Characterization of Solidwaste Dumpsite: A Case Study of Chowa Gujar, Peshawar (Part of Indus Basin)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-19, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:3:p:1443-:d:735201
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tanzila Akmal & Faisal Jamil, 2021. "Assessing Health Damages from Improper Disposal of Solid Waste in Metropolitan Islamabad–Rawalpindi, Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-18, March.
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