GROUND WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT NEAR MEHMOOD BOTI LANDFILL, LAHORE, PAKISTAN

Municipal disposal sites pose serious environmental threats to their surroundings and nearby residents. One of the most dangerous threat is in the form of ground water pollution through leachate percolation in soil that not only makes ground water unfit for certain domestic uses but also unsafe for drinking as well. The present research examined the level of ground water pollution on temporal basis near Mehmood Boti Landfill site in Lahore city, Pakistan. Water samples were collected in the study area during dry and wet seasons from September to December 2010 and were analyzed for microbiological parameters including Total Coliforms (TC), Fecal Coliforms (FC), E.coli, Salmonella spp. and Pseudomonas spp. and selected physical parameters such as pH, total hardness, turbidity, conductivity and total dissolved solids. The effect of depth and distance of water sample sources from the landfill was also investigated. Laboratory results of collected water samples for both seasons show that the ground water is not potable within WHO guidelines particularly in wet season due to high bacterial contamination that may result in many waterborne diseases and other environmental problems. A detailed study of ground water pollution levels and leachate assessment and their effects on environment in the study area is recommended.