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DHAPA landfill site
A comprehensive study
A comprehensive study
DHAPA landfill site
13CE10047
The Listed Site uses its available property for complete use a Dump site for wastes in and around Central Kolkata mostly.
The site handles mostly various municipal wastes produced throughout the week all across the city from various sources.
Though the landfill has existed for quite sometime now and no specific measures have been taken to curb or secure the contamination levels in the surrounding environment and waterbodies.
The Dhapa is a locality existing in the fringes of eastern parts of Kolkata. The area comprises mostly of solid wastes that are produced throughout the city.
“Garbage Farming” has been encouraged by the authorities in all sectors of the landfill. More than 40 percent of the green vegetables in the Kolkata market comes from this dump site surprisingly.
There are four major sectors in the Dhapa Landfill site for dumping garbage that is filled with approximately 2500 tonnes of waste per day.
Nitrates and Their Effect on Water Quality
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Does the presence of nitrates affect water quality?
Unlike temperature and dissolved oxygen, the presence of normal levels of nitrates usually does not have a direct effect on aquatic insects or fish. However, excess levels of nitrates in water can create conditions that make it difficult for aquatic insects or fish to survive.
Algae and other plants use nitrates as a source of food. If algae have an unlimited source of nitrates, their growth is unchecked. So, Why is that a problem?
A bay or estuary that has the milky colour of pea soup is showing the result of high concentrations of algae. Large amounts of algae can cause extreme fluctuations in dissolved oxygen. Photosynthesis by algae and other plants can generate oxygen during the day. However, at night, dissolved oxygen may decrease to very low levels as a result of large numbers of oxygen consuming bacteria feeding on dead or decaying algae and other plants.
Eutrophication – “The process by which a body of water acquires a high concentration of nutrients, especially phosphates and nitrates. These typically promote excessive growth of algae. As the algae die and decompose, high levels of organic matter and the decomposing organisms deplete the water of available oxygen, causing the death of other organisms, such as fish.
Anoxia – Anoxic Event: Anoxia is a lack of oxygen caused by excessive nutrients in waterways which triggers algae growth. When the plants die and decay, oxygen is stripped from the water, which then turns green or milky white and gives off a strong rotten egg odour. The lack of oxygen is often deadly for invertebrates, fish and shellfish.
How do nitrates affect human health?
Nitrate concentrations are monitored in municipal water supplies and foods to prevent exposing people to the potential harmful effects of high levels of nitrates. Nitrates are highly soluble, meaning that they easily dissolve in water. For many people in rural areas, the primary source of drinking water is well water, which may be contaminated with nitrates. Nitrates are colorless and odorless, so their presence cannot be determined without the use of special testing equipment.
Nitrates can interfere with the ability of our red blood cells to carry oxygen. Infants are more at risk of nitrate poisoning than older children or adults. Babies can turn “blue” when there is not enough oxygen being transported by their blood. This “blue baby syndrome” (technically known as methemoglobinemia) is a serious condition that can cause brain damage or death.
How do nitrates affect the health of aquatic animals?
Fish and aquatic insects can be affected indirectly by increased nitrate concentrations in the water.
Basically, any excess nitrate in the water is a source of fertilizer for aquatic plants and algae. In many cases, the amount of nitrate in the water is what limits how much plants and algae can grow. If there is an excess level of nitrates, plants and algae will grow excessively.
Excess plants in a body of water can create many problems. An excess in the growth of plants and algae create an unstable amount of dissolved oxygen. During the day, there will be usually be high levels of dissolved oxygen, and at night the levels of oxygen can decrease dramatically.
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This will create stressful conditions for fish. If they are stressed for a significant part of the day, they will not behave normally or reproduce. If the conditions persist for a long period of time, the stressed fish species may choose to leave that area or die off.
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Excess algae or plant growth is also unsightly. If you’ve ever been to a beach where mats of rotting algae wash up on shore or the bottom of the lake is teaming with weeds, it’s probably because excess nitrates are available for plant growth.
Excess plants and algae will also create conditions where organic matter accumulates. High densities of algae will create a condition where sunlight cannot reach very far into the water. Since plants and algae require some sunlight, plants and algae not receiving sunlight will die off. These dead plant materials will settle to the bottom of the water and bacteria that feed on decaying organic material will greatly increase in numbers. These bacteria will consume oxygen and, therefore, the level of dissolved oxygen in this water will fall to levels that are too low for many aquatic insects and fish to survive. Also, this can cause extreme changes in habitat. Fish that need gravel or sand for spawning may find nothing but mats of vegetation and muck so will be unable to produce offspring.
HEAVY METALS
Metal toxicity or metal poisoning is the toxic effect of certain metals in certain forms and doses on life. Some metals are toxic when they form poisonous soluble compounds. Certain metals have no biological role, i.e. are not essential minerals, or are toxic when in a certain form In the case of lead, any measurable amount may have negative health effects. Often heavy metals are thought as synonymous, but lighter metals may also be toxic in certain circumstances, such as beryllium and lithium. Toxic metals sometimes imitate the action of an essential element in the body, interfering with the metabolic process to cause illness. Many metals, particularly heavy metals are toxic, but some heavy metals are essential, and some, such as bismuth, has low toxicity. Most often the definition of toxic metals includes at least cadmium, lead, mercury, and the radioactive metals. Metalloids (arsenic, polonium) may be included in the definition. Radioactive metals have both radiological toxicity and chemical toxicity. Metals in an oxidation state abnormal to the body may also become toxic: chromium(III) is an essential trace element, but chromium(VI) is a carcinogen. Toxic metals can bioaccumulate in the body and in the food chain. Therefore, a common characteristic of toxic metals is the chronic nature of their toxicity. This is particularly notable with radioactive heavy metals such as radium, which imitates calcium to the point of being incorporated into human bone, although similar health implications are found in lead or mercury poisoning. The exceptions to this are barium and aluminum, which can be removed efficiently by the kidneys.
Specific types of poisoning:
Aluminium phosphide poisoning: Aluminium has no known biological role and its classification into toxic metals is controversial. Significant toxic effects and accumulation to tissues have been observed in renally impaired patients. Acute aluminium phosphide poisoning (AAlPP) is a large, though under-reported, problem in the Indian subcontinent. Aluminium phosphide (AlP), which is readily available as a fumigant for stored cereal grains, sold under various brand names such as QuickPhos and Celphos, is highly toxic, especially when consumed from a freshly opened container. .Death results from profound shock, myocarditis and multi-organ failure. Aluminium phosphide has a fatal dose of between 0.15 and 0.5 grams (0.0053 and 0.0176 oz). It has been reported to be the most common cause of suicidal death in North India.
Arsenic poisoning: Arsenic poisoning is a medical condition caused by elevated levels of arsenic in the body. The dominant basis of arsenic poisoning is from ground water that naturally contains high concentrations of arsenic. A 2007 study found that over 137 million people in more than 70 countries are probably affected by arsenic poisoning from drinking water.
Beryllium poisoning: Beryllium poisoning is illness resulting from the toxic effect of beryllium in its elemental form or in various chemical compounds. The toxicity of beryllium depends upon the duration, intensity and frequency of exposure (features of dose), as well as the form of beryllium and the route of exposure (i.e. inhalation, dermal, ingestion). According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), beryllium and beryllium compounds are Category 1 carcinogens; they are carcinogenic to both animals and humans.
Cadmium poisoning: Cadmium is an extremely toxic metal commonly found in industrial workplaces. Due to its low permissible exposure limit, overexposures may occur even in situations where trace quantities of cadmium are found. Cadmium is used extensively in electroplating, although the nature of the operation does not generally lead to overexposures.
Copper toxicity also called copperiedus, refers to the consequences of an excess of copper in the body. Copperiedus can occur from eating acid foods cooked in uncoated copper cookware, or from exposure to excess copper in drinking water or other environmental sources.
Lead poisoning: Lead poisoning is a medical condition in humans and other vertebrates caused by increased levels of the heavy metal lead in the body. Lead interferes with a variety of body processes and is toxic to many organs and tissues including the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, and reproductive and nervous systems. It interferes with the development of the nervous system and is therefore particularly toxic to children, causing potentially permanent learning and behavior disorders. Symptoms include abdominal pain, confusion, headache, anemia, irritability, and in severe cases seizures, coma, and death. Lithium is used in some medications, specifically to treat bi-polar disorder. The level of Lithium poisoning "sufficient" medication is thought by many physicians to be close to toxic tolerance for kidney function. Therefore the patient is often monitored for this purpose
Manganese poisoning, or manganism Manganism or manganese poisoning is a toxic condition resulting from chronic exposure to manganese and first identified in 1837 by James Couper.
Mercury poisoning: Mercury poisoning is a disease caused by exposure to mercury or its compounds. Mercury (chemical symbol Hg) is a heavy metal occurring in several forms, all of which can produce toxic effects in high enough doses. Its zero oxidation state Hg0 exists as vapour or as liquid metal, its mercurous state Hg2 2+ exists as inorganic salts, and its mercuric state Hg2+ may form either inorganic salts or organomercury compounds; the three groups vary in effects. Toxic effects include damage to the brain, kidney, and lungs. Mercury poisoning can result in several diseases, including acrodynia (pink disease), Hunter-Russell syndrome, and Minamata disease. Symptoms typically include sensory impairment (vision, hearing, speech), disturbed sensation and a lack of coordination. The type and degree of symptoms exhibited depend upon the individual toxin, the dose, and the method and duration of exposure.
Silver poisoning, or Argyria Argyria or argyrosis is a condition caused by inappropriate exposure to chemical compounds of the element silver, or to silver dust. The most dramatic symptom of argyria is that the skin turns blue or bluish-grey. It may take the form of generalized argyria or local argyria. Generalized argyria affects large areas over much of the visible surface of the body. Local argyria shows in limited regions of the body, such as patches of skin, parts of the mucous membrane or the conjunctiva.
Chromium and its negative effects on the environment
Introduction
Chromium is used mainly in metal alloys such as metal-ceramics, stainless steel, and is used as chrome plating. It has high value in the industrial world because it can be polished to a mirror-like finish, and provides a durable, highly rust resistant coating, for heavy applications. On the flip side, chromium can also provide health benefits to humans.
Sources of Chromium
Chromium is mined in different countries around the world (such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Finland, India, Kazakihstan and the Philippines) as the naturally occurring form, chromate ore (FeCr2O4). Chromium is unstable in an oxygenated environment and, when exposed to air, immediately produces an oxide layer which is impermeable to further oxygen contamination.
Transport of Chromium into the Environment
Chromium enters the environment through both natural processes and human activities. Increases in Chromium III are due to leather, textile, and steel manufacturing; Chromium VI enters the environment through some of the same channels such as leather and textile manufacturing, but also due to industrial applications such as electro painting and chemical manufacturing. Groundwater contamination may occur due to seepage from chromate mines or improper disposal of mining tools and supplies, and improper disposal of industrial manufacturing equipment.
Bioavailability
Chromium can affect the air quality through coal manufacturing, which eventally can lead to water or soil contamination. Water contamination is fairly limited to surface water, and will not affect groundwater because chromium strongly attaches to soil and is generally contained within the silt layer surrounding or withing the groundwater reservoir. Water contaminated with chromium will not build up in fish when consumed, but will accumulate on the gills, thus, causing negative health effects for aquatic animals; chromium uptake results in increased mortality rates in fish due to contamination.
When consumed by animals, the effects can include "respiratory problems, a lower ability to fight disease, birth defects, infertility and tumor formation." (LennTech)
Impacts on Human Health
This pathogen is a mutagen, carcinogen, etc. It is concentrated in bone, blood, organs....
What are the tolerances? What is toxic, what is lethal?
Chromium VI (hexavalent chromium) is considered carcinogenic only to animals in certain circumstances at this point; chromium in general is currently not classified as a carcinogen as the OSHA and is fairly unregulated, but is considered toxic, level 3. While chromium III is essential for regular operation of human vascular and metabolic systems as well as combating diabetes, too much chromium III may result in severe skin rash, or other more serious symptoms.
Chromium VI is the most dangerous form of chromium and may cause health problems including: allergic reactions, skin rash, nose irritations and nosebleed, ulsers, weakened immune system, genetic material alteration, kidney and liver damage, and may even go as far as death of the individual.
There is, however, no established limit for human consumption of chromium III. Individulals have been recorded as consuming 1000mg daily for elongated periods with no negative effects; but, as with all minerals our body needs, too much consumption may result in poisoning.
Prevention or Mitigation
There are currently no standards or regulations regarding hazard mitigation. Water purification is completely optional, but active carbon and ion exchanging filtering methods are both very effective in eliminating chromium contamination.
ABOUT DHAPA
Dhapa is located near the Parama Island on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, on the eastern fringes of Kolkata.The Eastern Metropolitan Bypass lies on its eastern boundary, Tangra/Beleghata/Sealdah on its west, China Town at it’s south and Metropolitan Co-Operative Housing Society on it’s northern frontier.
There are a huge number of landmarks marking the corners of the Dhapa landfill site-
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ITC Sonar hotel, Silver Spring housing on its east
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Milan Mela (permanent trade fair) ground om it's south
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Mathupukur five-point crossing, Awatar Bhawan on the west
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Also has the St.Thomas school on its west
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Dhapa Kutchery
Other than this, Dhapa contributes for than 40% of fresh, green veggies around the city of Kolkata. Among all these things, Dhapa is also home to one of the biggest rice markets in the city. The market was later recognized and named as Singh Bazaar after the late Lt, Sarju Singh.
Jurisdiction and other Government bodies
Dhapa falls under the jurisdiction of the South 24 Paraganas and is under the security of Pragati Maidan police station. The area falls under ward 58 of the Sonarpur Constituency.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation is responsible for providing the basic civic facilities and amenities to the residents of the place
Pollution in Dhapa
The major concern from any massive landfill is the problem of innate toxicity that stays in the soil over time and takes several
generations to curb the problem to even small extent. For several years Dhapa was the one and only landfill site to dump the municipal wastes generating all over the city of Kolkata. As a result of this following contamination problems threatens the environment and water bodies in and around Dhapa:-
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Generation of landfill gas
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Leachate of the waste dump releases heavy metals, nitrates, chromium salts, phenolic compounds, lead
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Incineration of the waste releases a lot of harmful greenhouse gases, as well as the toxic ones
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The existence of MSV (Maize Streak Virus) that have destroyed several crops and released toxins into the nearby ecosystem leading to biomagnification sometimes
All the aforementioned causes of toxicity have been discussed ahead-
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Generation of landfill gases
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The Dhapa Dump is constantly on fire and hence average lifespan of landfill workers is around 50yrs, only.
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Why Dhapa being the only landfill in Kolkata is gonna cause massive problems in future
Municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal and management is a major concern in the recent times, due to the advancement in global economy and its direct impact on the per capita waste generation. Municipal solid waste generation in urban regions is much greater than any other place. Kolkata, the seventh largest city in India, generates about 3000 tonne waste per day, containing 50% biodegradable organics, which on dumping at landfills emit uncontrolled landfill gas having global warming effect but a renewable source of energy. The present method of disposal of municipal solid waste in Kolkata is dumping on open ground at landfill sites which are neither sanitary landfills nor controlled landfills. In the present paper landfill gas generation rate from Dhapa landfill site in Kolkata has been estimated by using 6 different mathematical models for over a period of 30 years, alongwith an overview of the present municipal solid waste collection and disposal methodologies adopted in the city as per Municipal Solid Waste (Handling and Management) Rules 2000. The present study revealed that there is a large potential for landfill gas generation from Dhapa landfill in Kolkata but the landfill gas estimation values for different models vary from each other. It has been estimated that 6.19x106 to 7.53x106 m3 of landfill gas is generated per year from the Dhapa landfill site in Kolkata equivalent to an annual energy generation rate of 2.96 x 106 to 3.6 x 106 kgoe.
Kolkata city and its municipal solid waste
generation
The city of Kolkata is located at 22.560 north and 88.360 east and an average elevation of 17 feet above the sea level. Kolkata is situated on the east bank of river Hooghly and it about 30 km away from the Bay of Bengal. The city covers an area of 185 km2. As per census
2011, Kolkata has a population of 4.49 million with a population density of 24270 persons/ km^2. Kolkata generates 3005 tonnes of solid
waste per day. The per capita municipal solid waste generation rate in Kolkata is 669 gm/day. Municipal solid waste is a heterogeneous material in which the composition varies widely. The sources average composition of Kolkata municipal solid waste (Hazra and Goel, 2009) is shown in figure 1, which shows that the market waste and household waste constitute the major part of the Kolkata municipal solid waste which are 36.36% are 34.2%, respectively.
The amount of market waste, mostly
vegetable market waste, generation in Kolkata has been estimated to be 1093 tonne/day, followed by household waste which is 1028 tonne/day. Both these fractions of the municipal solid waste contain a considerable proportion of biodegradable organic and when dumped into the landfill decompose biochemically in presence of anaerobic bacteria to produce landfill gas
(LFG), a renewable energy source. Landfill gas contributes to global warming due to uncontrolled emission of CH4 and CO2 into the atmosphere from the landfill sites, apart from other environmental hazards, like ground water contamination and soil pollution due to percolation of leachate.
Dhapa landfill site is one of the major landfill sites in Kolkata metropolitan city. Presently, there has been no facility available for the recovery of gases at the Dhapa landfill site in Kolkata. Time series estimation with 6 models revealed that the landfill gas estimation values
for different models vary from each other, depending on the selection of parameters. The landfill gas emission estimation graph of Dhapa landfill site for a successive period of 30 years (1981-2011), using 6 different methodologies, has been shown in figure 5. Minimum deviation in the values obtained from first order (TNO) model, multi-phase model and LandGEM model has been observed from the study. The values estimated using EPER model Germany, default
methodology (DM) and first order decay (FOD) method indicated steep increase in landfill gas emission from the landfill site compared to the other 3 models throughout the study (1981-2011). So in the study, two sets of graph has been prepared, one with first order (TNO) model, multi-phase (Afvalzorg) and
LandGEM models known as 1st set and the other set (2nd set) comprises of EPER Germany, FOD and default methodology. It has been observed from the 1st set of results that the values of landfill gas emission from first order (TNO) and multi-phase models estimation follows almost a same pattern within the time frame of 1981 to 1991with a variation from 0.05% to 4.06%, whereas LandGEM model estimation varies from 36.03% to 49.68% with TNO model within the same time frame. After 1991, the landfill gas emission from multi-phase model varies
from 4.63% to 14.91% from TNO model and for that of LandGEM model, variations tends to decrease from 34.47% to 0.92% with the
same. This shows that TNO model estimation and LandGEM model estimation follows a same pattern as the time progresses.
The 2nd set revealed that landfill gas emission as estimated from EPER and default methodology methods show a constant variation of 152.40% throughout the time frame. On the other hand, Landfill gas emission levels, as estimated from EPER and first-order decay models, showed rapid fluctuation. During the time series of 1981 to 1987, landfill gas generations using EPER model lags behind first-order decay model estimation with a variation ranging from 9% to 100%. But landfill gas generation increases after 1988 for estimation using EPER model, than that of first order decay model and goes
on increasing for rest of the time frame.
Landfill gas emission in the year 2011 as estimated from the different mathematical models have been shown in table 3. Considering the calorific value of landfill gas to be 20 MJ/m3, energy generation potential of Kolkata municipal solid waste in the year 2011 has been estimated from the 1st set of results, ranging from 123.89x106 MJ to 1.52x10^6 MJ which is equivalent to
2.96x10^6 to 3.6x10^6 kgoe.
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CONCLUSION
Rapid industrialization, economic progress and changes in the lifestyle of citizens result in a direct impact on municipal solid waste generation in a metropolitan. For the metropolitan cities, the contents of the municipal solid waste generated have been changing with time, which in turn affects the landfill gas emission from the landfill sites. It is necessary to monitor the landfill gas emission from the landfill sites in view of environmental impact, human health, energy recovery, etc. Methane, which is one of the major .constituent of landfill gas and a potent greenhouse gas, produces carbon dioxide and water during combustion and one molecule of methane produces one molecule of carbon dioxide but in the process global warming is reduced by 21 times. Thus, a genuine idea of utilizing the landfill gas for energy generation rather than allowing it to escape into the atmosphere may be implemented at the landfill sites for reducing the negative environmental impact. Proper recovery and utilization of this landfill gas is possible if the landfill gas emission level can be properly estimated. To utilize the landfill gas it is better to use correct methodology for landfill gas estimation to avoid collapse of recovery technologies. Thus the landfill gas estimation from the 3 models, namely First order (TNO),
multi-phase and LandGEM may be considered for landfill gas recovery techniques.
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Majority of the people living in the place are either migrant casual laborers who work in tanneries of China Town or are employed in small factories nearby. Some of the inhabitants are peasants and farmers who work in the fields that line the EM Bypass. These farmers came from Medinipur, Durgapur, Bihar and Orissa and were settled by the help of Late Yadunandan Singh. The majority of the population is poor and some live below the poverty line. Recently new population has migrated in the Hatgachia area. Also the family of Patwas have moved here from Bihar who have minted the money in jewellery business. Singh family of Late Yadunandan Singh is remembered for the landlord like status in the area and the old peasants still remember him for his philanthropic works like providing farming opportunity and building homes of Oriya Para, Uttar Bari, Dakshin Bari and Janakalyan School. This family is known to be highly educated in the area. His grandson Shantanu Singh runs an Engineering consultancy in New Jersey, USA in the name of YN (Yadunandan) Enterprises.