Biruk Berhanu

Geo-physical Method to Characterize Solid Waste Dump Site: the Case of Repi Landfill, South West Addis Ababa Biruk Berhanu

Water quality degradation is one of the major environmental problems in Addis Ababa and the municipal solid waste dump site can be source of groundwater contamination as leachate may infiltrate and join the aquifer. Despite the potential danger of the Repi landfill (commissioned 4 decades ago with no evaluation of hydro-geologic condition of the area) to the groundwater system, empirical work on the level of sealing of the landfill has been largely scant. The book, therefore, provides geophysical techniques involving 2-D resistivity imaging and VES for a hydro- geophysical assessment of contamination of groundwater. The survey results clearly indicate that the underlying layers around the landfill are weak incapable of preventing downward movement of leachate from the landfill to the groundwater. Hence, the groundwater in this area may have been contaminated. It is hoped that the book can provide useful information for policies and practices aimed at minimizing the environmental impact of solid waste dump sites and should be especially useful to professionals in Environmental geophysics, or anyone else who may be considering utilizing geoelectrical methods.