Assessment of Selected Physico Chemical Properties of Soil for Site Suitability for Waste Disposal in Abakaliki, Southeast, Nigeria

Abstract

An assessment of the physicochemical properties of soil for site waste disposal was carried out in Abakaliki urban, southeastern Nigeria. Three sites namely: Waterworks road (WR), Hill top (HT) and Azuiyiokwu (AZ) were randomly selected. Soil samples were collected from 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm depths from the sites. The soil samples were analyzed for physicochemical properties. The results showed variations in soil properties of the three sites which indicate suitability of the different sites or otherwise for waste disposal. The relationship between  percent sand  moisture content on dry mass basis and total porosity was generally highly significant (P>0.01). Similarly, the relationship between percent sand and saturated hydraulic conductivity was also highly significant. Available P highly correlated with total porosity and saturated hydraulic conductivity. The sites with high sand percentage are good for refuse disposal while the ones with high clay percentage have problems of water logging and  build up of pollution for ground water. Dumpsites Water works road (WR) and Hilltop (HT) are better for waste disposal than dumpsite Azuiyiokwu (AZ).

Keywords: Dumpsites, physicochemical, refuse, soil.