leachate andgroundwaterassessment at kirkuk sanitarylandfill site in zindanavillage, iraq

in iraq, waste generation was increased after 2003 war events due to intensepopulation developmentand economic growth. the limitation of designable system for municipal solidwaste (msw) management led toserious problems regarding environment and human health. sanitary landfill in the south of kirkuk is the first kindof effective system for municipal solid waste management in iraq. in the first effort to assess the pollutionpotential of leachate and its impact on ground water, leachate samples from pre-treatment basin, post treatmentbasin 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 ontwo monitoring wells around landfill site (mw1, directed leachate pond and mw2 directed landfill site). theleachate 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 ongroundwater quality and surface drainage during rainy season. analytical results of leachate samples indicatethe early acidic biodegradation stage of kirkuk landfill. the high lpi value of 6.651 was recorded for leachatebefore treatment indicating the role of leachate treatment to minimize the levels of pollutants.