Impact of Municipal Solid Waste Landfill on Climate Change and Human Well-being: A Case Study on Aminbazar Landfill, Dhaka North City Corporation, Bangladesh
Date
2022-04
Authors
Khondoker, Marufa
Rahman, M. Maksudur
Hwang, Sangchul
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Abstract
Global warming and climate change have become warning topics to think about around the globe. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have increased by over 90% since 1970, with fossil fuel burning and industrial processes accounting for around 78 percent of the entire increase in greenhouse gas emissions between 1970 and 2011 (Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, US). Apart from industries, there are other contributors who are responsible for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, such as unmanaged Solid waste landfills. Globally the estimation of methane gas is still a topic of debate, and several methods are there. Also, most of the reports have come up with qualitative data regarding the health impact of the waste workers and the dwellers. This work aims to calculate methane (CH4) emissions from Aminbazar solid waste (SW) disposal site, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Microbes digest degradable organic carbon from rubbish in solid waste disposal sites (SWDS) under anaerobic conditions, producing methane (CH4) and other compounds. The Aminbazar trash disposal area, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), has been visited, and waste statistics and other vital information have been gathered from the Waste Report and the Key Informant Interview (KII) of DNCC high officials. The Aminbazar landfill has been in operation since 2007, and it is scheduled to close in 2023. This dump is better controlled and has more data than the other Dhaka South City Corporation landfill, Matuail (DSCC). Hence, the Aminbazar disposal site has been selected to estimate the trend of Methane gas (CH4) using two contradictory methods, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2006 default method and the LandGEM model (a first-order decay method). Then, results have been compared and analyzed that the IPCC default method estimates 40-60% more methane gas than the LandGEM model due to the assumptions applied. Eventually, it has been found that If we consider that Aminbazar landfill emits an average of 40 Gg of methane gas per year, we may conclude that the landfill is responsible for emitting 2.96 kg/acre/day of methane gas. Furthermore, the people of DNCC contribute to global warming by generating 17.96 grams of methane gas per day. (This assumes a total population of 6.1 million in the DNCC area).
Interviews with landfill officials and neighboring people were done in a qualitative format. According to the findings, landfills are located relatively close to residential areas, bodies of water, and agricultural regions, exposing people to a variety of health and environmental concerns. Improper solid waste management procedures at landfills have a negative impact on the environment through leachate percolation, trash combustion, and vector breeding. To lessen the accompanying environmental pollution and health hazards, the existing solid waste management system requires administrative and technical changes. More research needs to be conducted to calculate methane gas emissions from waste disposal sites in Bangladesh.
Description
Keywords
climate change, solid waste, landfills
Citation
Khondoker, M., Rahman, M. M., & Hwang, S. (2022). Impact of municipal solid waste landfill on climate change and human well-being: A case study on Aminbazar Landfill, Dhaka North City Corporation, Bangladesh. Poster presented at the International Research Conference for Graduate Students, San Marcos, Texas.