Impact of Landfill Proximity on Soil Quality: A Comparative Study of Dumping and Non-Dumping Sites Near Srinagar Garhwal, Uttarakhand

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to analyze changes in the physicochemical parameters of the soil in the vicinity of a small municipal solid waste dumping and non- dumping site. The research results were analyzed on the basis of general physicochemical properties which includes pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic carbon (OC), available nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) by using standard methods. The results show that the soil from the dump sites were contain higher amounts of soil properties (EC, SOC, N, P, K) than the non- dumping sites. Pearson correlation shows that pH exhibits a robust negative correlation with all other parameters, while remaining other parameters had a positive correlation with each other. Also, PCA analysis shows dumping sites mostly depicts positive values in PC1, whereas the non-dumping sites indicates negative values. Final interpretation indicates that the soil in the dump site found suitable for plant growth. But due to improper solid waste management, this nutrient rich soil could be mixed up with several other contaminants such as soluble salts, plastics, heavy metals and so on. This could make the soil unhealthy or unsuitable for plant growth. Study also suggests proper segregation, recovery, treatment and safe disposal of the solid waste and formulate an integrated municipal solid waste management plan for this particular dumping site.