Assessment of the effect of Aruwakkalu waste dump on surrounding water resources

Abstract

In developing countries like Sri Lanka, waste management is a vital necessity. Solid waste dumps play a major role in handling waste in most countries. These solid waste dumps can cause severe environmental pollution via leachate generation and transport of toxic material along with both surface and underground water flows. The Aruwakkalu waste dump, which is the subject of the study, is a sanitary landfill situated in Puttalam district, Sri Lanka. The landfill is planned to receive and store municipal solid waste (MSW) from Colombo metropolitan area. Locations for these waste dumps must be selected strategically to minimise the risk of contamination of the surrounding environment. A distributed hydrological model was used to determine the effect of rainfall, evapotranspiration, and surface runoff on the site. It identified the direction of the water flow through the waste dump. The analyses have illustrated that the area receives lesser rainfall and a higher rate of evapotranspiration. The hydrological analysis illustrates the water flow direction from the waste dump to the outside is towards the West and away from the nearby settlement areas. The results were used to assess the effect of the waste dumpsite on the surrounding water resources.