The perils of open landfill: a study on environmental risk assessment in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Improper and unscientific management of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill sites has increasingly become a pressing environmental issue especially in the mountainous regions worldwide. In view of this, an attempt was made to assess the detrimental effects of MSW landfill on the natural water sources at Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. Further, the suitability of potential landfill site and dispersion of pollutant air masses were stipulated using Arc GIS and HYSPLIT model. The findings show a discernible increase in electrical conductivity (323-858 μS/cm) and total dissolved solids (1086-1144 mg/kg levels) during sampling period. The results exhibited a notable increasing trend in the mean concentrations of heavy metals viz. As (0.13 mg/kg and 0.10 mg/kg), Hg (0.52 mg/kg and 0.65 mg/kg), Pb (0.10 mg/kg and 0.06 mg/kg), Zn (30.40 mg/kg and 0.22 mg/kg), Cd (0.46 mg/kg and 0.04 mg/kg), Cr (0.10 mg/kg and 0.05 mg/kg), Ni (0.28 mg/kg and 0.10 mg/kg), Mn (24.40 mg/kg and 0.35 mg/kg) and Fe (1.81 mg/kg and 0.96 mg/kg) during monsoon and post monsoon. High HPI values were observed at the sampling location near to landfill drain (9060), followed by spring site (7338). However, most of sampling points consistently exceeding the critical HPI value, across all seasons, indicated a severe level of heavy metal pollution, where sampling sites near to landfill drain pose significant environmental health risks of 63%. An overwhelming 93% population in vicinity of MSW site expressed their concern that the current landfill site poses substantial threat to their health and livestock. Furthermore, the obtained forward trajectories showed the downhill dispersion of polluted air arising from solid waste burning. A continuous monitoring of landfill leachate dynamics, atmospheric pollutants due to burning of waste and their potential impact on regional climate followed by appropriate adaptation strategies will be a promising step towards a sustainable future for the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR).
Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: All the authors in this manuscript provide consent towards the research ethics. In this manuscript no harm has been done to the environment. Informed consent was also obtained during the field survey from all individual participants included in the study. Finally, all the authors state that the present study has no ethical issues. All authors have read, understood, and have complied as applicable with the statement on “Ethical responsibilities of Authors” as found in the Instructions for Authors. Consent to participate: Authors of the manuscript provided informed consent prior to participation. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
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