Assessing vulnerability of environment and communities around the dumpsite: A case study of Lira City
| dc.contributor.author | Ogwang Nickson | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-08-18T12:55:10Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-08-18T12:55:10Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023-08 | |
| dc.description | A research thesis submitted to Kampala International University in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of Degree of Master of Science in Civil Engineering | |
| dc.description.abstract | High rate of population growth of Lira city is one of the key drivers of challenges of solid waste management. Human activities lead to generation of a huge volume of waste and the method the wastes are collected, kept, transported and disposed can pose a high risk to environment and human health. The aim of this study was to assess the vulnerability of environment and communities around Aler dumpsite, Lira city, in Uganda, through the characterization of waste, quantification of pollutants in dumpsite leachate, water resources around the dumpsite, soil and crops and perception and evaluation of people living closer and far from dumpsite. Quantity of waste was obtained by getting number of trips dumped by each truck in 6 months and a waste wise city tool was used to characterize waste. Laboratory analysis was conducted on landfill leachate, soil, crops and water sources for different parameters including heavy metals, nutrients (P, N, K), BOD, COD, e-coli, turbidity and electrical conductivity. The results revealed that about 7.38 tons of waste was dumped at the dumpsite daily. This waste comprised on average; organic; 68.6%, metals; 7.1%, glass 2.5%, paper, 8.7%, plastic; 7.4%, rubber; 3.9% and others; 1.8%. The concentration of heavy (metals, lead, zinc, cadmium and nickel), organic matter (BOD, COD) and nutrients (N, P, K) all were found to be high in leachate above the WHO discharge standard. The same was found for water, soil and crops samples. This reveal that leachate from the dumpsite pollute the water sources soil, and crops. Evaluation of perceptions of people exposed (living within 100m–1 km) and less exposed (living within 1–2 km) from the dumpsite regarding environmental and health problems showed that over 50% of people exposed to dumpsite indicated serious pollution of air, water and soil linked to dumpsite. People exposed to dumpsite than those who are less exposed, frequently reported illnesses such as stomachache, headache, and irritation of eye, skin and nose. Over (70%) of people exposed indicated fear of illness due to dumpsite. Therefore, the study recommends re-design of the current dumpsite into a sanitary landfill, which offer a systematic collection of leachate and its treatment before its discharge into the environment. Government also should provide a water treatment facility, which supply to the Lira citizen potable water, since the current sources used without treatment contain heavy metals. Either relocation of the people living closer to the dumpsite or relocating the dumpsite to somewhere far from the residents could reduce their vulnerability and could improve their health and moral (wellbeing). | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12493/14901 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Kampala International University | |
| dc.title | Assessing vulnerability of environment and communities around the dumpsite: A case study of Lira City | |
| dc.type | Thesis |