Impact, Mitigation Strategies, and Future Possibilities of Nigerian Municipal Solid Waste Leachate Management Practices: A Review

Landfills and solid waste disposal facilities have historically been the most common point sources of pollution with the potential to release contamination leachate plumes into the environment. Waste disposal is one of the biggest problems that the world is facing. In man’s everyday life, he produces waste materials which, if not properly managed, can affect health and environment. The seepage of landfill leachate into groundwater tables and aquifer systems significantly creates a possible danger and threat to human health and environment at large and remains a subject of concern in Nigeria and other parts of the world. This paper provides a review of existing approaches to leachate treatment in Nigeria and current practices across the globe, depicts the impact on environmental implications, documented previous findings, challenges and mitigation measures, and future perspectives of landfill leachate management in Nigeria, and compares with global practice of leachate management. In Nigeria, there are only a few standard techniques of landfill leachate treatment. This resulted in severe environmental impacts that threaten human life, especially in the north-eastern part of the country. Vector-borne and water-related illnesses such as cholera, Dengue, Diarrhoea, Trachoma, typhoid, malaria etc, have become a major source of concern resulting from the leaching effect from landfills. Advanced treatment methods, including membrane filtration, trickling filters, and Batch and Sequencing-Batch Reactors (SBR) are used in some of the cities and private organizations in Nigeria. Most researchers in Nigeria have stressed the necessity to utilise efficient, cost-effective technology in landfill wastewater treatment. Despite this, landfill leachate has continued to have severe effects in Nigeria and the situation seems to be escalating, requiring further study.