Title: The threatening effects of open dumping on soil at waste disposal sites of Akure City, Nigeria

Authors: Fidelis O. Ajibade; Bashir Adelodun; Temitope F. Ajibade; Kayode H. Lasisi; Christiana Abiola; James R. Adewumi; Christopher O. Akinbile

Addresses: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China ' Land and Water Engineering Laboratory, Department of Agricultural Civil Engineering, Kyungpook National University, South Korea; Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria ' Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China ' Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China ' Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria ' Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria ' Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria

Abstract: This study examines the influence of uncontrolled deposition of MSW disposal on soil in four selected dumpsites across Akure City, Nigeria. Physicochemical and microbial tests were carried out using standard procedure. Soil samples were randomly collected using soil auger from the major (Igbatoro and Iju-Itaogbolu), and the minor (Ijare and FUTA) dumpsites, at depths (0-10, 10-20, 20-30 cm), with control samples taken at a distance 20 m away from each dumpsite. The physicochemical parameters measured include pH, total organic matter, total organic carbon and particle size distribution. The results showed that samples were predominantly acidic (4.12 to 6.73), sandy (32.69 to 65.40) with values ranging from 0.17 to 4.14 and 0.02 to 3.15 for organic matter and organic carbon respectively. The mean values for both aerobic bacterial counts and heterotrophic fungal counts from control to the dumpsites ranged from 188 × 10⁶ to 258 × 10⁶ cfu/mL, and 128 × 10⁶ to 193 × 10⁶ cfu/mL, respectively. Although there exists some positive impacts of dumpings on soil, their adverse effects are life threatening.

Keywords: soil pollution; solid wastes; dumpsites; indiscriminate disposal; Nigeria.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2021.112947

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2021 Vol.27 No.2, pp.127 - 146

Received: 08 Jun 2018
Accepted: 04 Jun 2019
Published online: 11 Feb 2021 *

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