Assessment and simulation of a solid waste dumpsite impact on the surrounding water resources: A case study in Abu Zaabal, Egypt

Abstract

Indiscriminate dumping of solid wastes and the resulting groundwater contamination is a major issue, especially for developing countries. The main objective of this paper is to develop a groundwater mass transport model in order to study the effect of an open solid waste dumpsite on the water quality of water resources within the region around it. The harmful effects of indiscriminate solid wastes disposal by open dumping, which is still followed in many developing countries around the world, is highlighted. Abu Zaabal dumpsite; which is located in Qalyubiyah Governorate, Egypt; receives huge amounts of wastes daily causing leachate generation that percolates deep into the soil and polluting the shallow aquifer. The Groundwater Modeling System (GMS) software was used to model the groundwater flow and mass transport, using data collected from the site investigation and literature historical data available. Of the several contaminants measured in the site, six critical contaminants; namely Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Lead, Boron, Nitrate, Manganese and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD); were chosen to be modeled. The developed model was used to simulate the six contaminants using a transient-state model and concentration values for two different scenarios. Scenario-1 assumes that the dumpsite will be active until 2080, whereas Scenario-2 represents imminent closure of the dumpsite. The model results of each contaminant were calculated over 100-year interval, from 1980 until 2080, and the results of 2080 were presented. The results showed that the dumpsite had a major impact on the nearby water bodies, Abu Zaabal ponds and Belbais Drain. Moreover, the closure of the dumpsite showed that the maximum concentration of the majority of the considered contaminants was decreased by approximately 60–65%.

Concentration of heavy metals in leachate, soil, and plants in Tehran’s landfill: Investigation of the effect of landfill age on the intensity of pollution

“…The potential for metal absorption by the soil, the distance of water sources from the landfill, and topography are factors that affect the concentration of heavy metals in the soil and even the water sources around the landfill [ 25 ]. Therefore, the transfer of various pollutants, including heavy metals, to water resources near the landfill site is a serious concern in landfill leachate management, which has been analyzed in many developing countries [ 51 ]. In general, the concentration of heavy metals in the depends on factors such as the difference in the concentration of metals in the leachate [ 49 ], the absorption rate of metals by soil particles [ 43 ], the amount of precipitation [ 52 ], and the amount of metal accumulation in the soil in a long time [ 52 ].…”

Influence of the industrial pollutant on water quality, radioactivity levels, and biological communities in Ismailia Canal, Nile River, Egypt

“…Moreover, the Ismailia Canal passes through different geologic formations, with sand and marl downstream and silt and mud upstream of the canal (El-Mathana et al 2021 ). About 80% of Nile water from the Blue Nile and Atbara rivers originates from highland Ethiopia, mainly mafic and basalt rocks low in naturally occurring radioactive elements (Turekian and Wedepohl 1961 ).…”

“…1 ). The canal passes through different geologic formations, including silt and mud on its upstream west bank and sand and marl on its downstream east bank (El-Mathana et al 2021 ). Around 12 million Egyptians rely on it as their primary source of drinking water and irrigation (Geriesh et al 2008 ).…”

Investigation of groundwater vulnerability to open dumpsites and its potential risk using electrical resistivity and water analysis

“…The unfavourable dumpsite phenomena have been a difficult task for Nigeria to manage due to the ever-upsurging solid waste generated [ 8 ]. These situations predict difficult times for the future of environmental management in Nigeria [ [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] ], and the rest of the African nations [ [13] , [14] , [15] ]. Therefore, the prevailing indiscriminately disposal of solid wastes in open dumpsites in developing nations has reached a critical situation that poses hazardous impacts on human habitations [ 2 , 16 , 17 ].…”