Toxicity Analysis and Public Health Aspects of Municipal Landfill Leachate: A Case Study of Okhla Landfill, Delhi

Vijaya Singh (1) , A. K. Mittal (1)

1 Department of Civil Engineering [New Delhi]

Uncontrolled landfilling is predominant in developing countries like India. Leachate generated from these landfills contains variety of contaminants, which even at trace levels can cause health problems of unknown dimensions and magnitude. Unchecked release of these leachates into the environments poses a substantial risk to the origins of potable water. Toxicity analysis can be used as an important tool to assess the leachate contamination potential. In the present study, Okhla municipal landfill leachate was subjected to acute toxicity tests using fish bioassay. The toxicity varied substantially with time of sampling. The leachates were found to be highly toxic to the test organisms, indicating significant risk to public health. Results from this study, demonstrate the importance of conducting such toxicity tests to assess the potential impact of a pollutant discharge on aquatic resources and demand for the proper management of solid waste in Delhi.

Mots clés: Landfill leachate; contaminants; acute toxicity; bioassay; public health

Domaines: Environnement et Société

Vijaya Singh, A. K. Mittal. Toxicity Analysis and Public Health Aspects of Municipal Landfill Leachate: A Case Study of Okhla Landfill, Delhi. 8th World Wide Workshop for Young Environmental Scientists WWW-YES 2009: Urban waters: resource or risks?, Jun 2009, Arcueil, France. ⟨hal-00593106⟩