Abdulrafiu O. Majolagbe , Adeleke A. Kasali and Lateef .O Ghaniyu2
Groundwater samples were collected from the vicinity of major dump sites namely, Oke Afa refuse dump site in Isolo, Lagos State and Oju irin dump site in Ifo, Ogun State, with the aim of aim of assessing the physicochemical impacts of two refuse dump sites on quality of groundwater in the two major cities in western part of Nigeria. Levels of various physico-chemical parameters investigated include Total dissolved solids (TDS), Alkalinity, pH, Electrical conductivity (EC), and Hardness. Anions: Cal-, SO4 2-, NO3 -, PO4 3-. were also determined, using standard analytical methods. Trace metals: Pb, Cd, Fe, Cu Zn Mg and Na were equally determined using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Buck scientific 210VGP model). Concentration of Pb, Fe and Cd found in Isolo study area are higher than WHO health based guideline values, indicating possible impact of landfill on the groundwater quality. This raises the question of toxicities of these elements, hence threat to man. Most of the nutritive metals analysed (Na, Zn, and Cu) in Isolo samples maintained strong positive correlation with r values ≥ 0.8 showing that they probably have common source, unlike Ifo water samples that had all the metals analysed found within the WHO standards for drinking water. Ifo groundwater is soft with pH within the WHO acceptable range for drinking water while Isolo water is moderately hard, acidic in nature; hence require further treatment for it to be potable.
