Leachate and Ground Water Assessment at Kirkuk Sanitary Landfill Site in Zindana Village, Iraq

In Iraq, waste generation was increased after 2003 war events due to intensepopulation development and economic growth. The limitation of designable system for Municipal SolidWaste (MSW) management led to serious problems regarding environment and human health. Sanitary landfill in the south of Kirkuk is the first kind of effective system for municipal solid waste management in Iraq. In the first effort to assess the pollution potential of leachate and its impact on ground water, leachate samples from pre-treatment basin, post treatment basin and leachate pond were analyzed for physico-chemical characteristics (pH, EC, TSS, TDS, BOD, COD,Cl-, SO4-2, PO4-3, NO3 and NO2-) and heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Mn, Ni and Cd). Similar analysis was done on two monitoring wells around landfill site (MW1, directed leachate pond and MW2 directed landfill site). The leachate pollution index (LPI) was also determined. The results showed that the main concentrations of BOD,COD, SO4-2, PO4-3, and NO3- in the monitoring well samples are above the permissible limits of WHOstandards regarding drinking water quality. It may particularly be due to the impact of leachate outflows on groundwater quality and surface drainage during rainy season. Analytical results of leachate samples indicate the early acidic biodegradation stage of Kirkuk landfill. The high LPI value of 6.651 was recorded for leachate before treatment indicating the role of leachate treatment to minimize the levels of pollutants.