Impact of uncontrolled landfills on ecosystems of Georgia

Abstract

Impact of the most noticeable uncontrolled landfills in some regions of East and West Georgia on the pollution degree of adjacent territories is studied. Frequently, it is not manageable to move West from the given territories or take them away and, as a consequence, pollutants remain there for many years and become one of the sources of contamination of adjacent territories by different types of waste. As a result, the sanitary state of these territories significantly worsens. Considering this problem, hydrochemical and microbiological analyses of samples (soil and water) were conducted and key pollutants that cause envi-ronment contamination through landfills were identified. All kinds of laboratory analysis were carried out in the accredited Laboratory of the Department of Environmental Pollution Monitoring at the National Environmental Agency, while in the field the physical and chemical indicators (in case if uncontrolled landfills usually being situated on the riverside) of water were measured using portable devices (Hydrometeorological Institute). The degree of the impact of uncontrolled landfills on ecosystems was assessed along with those negative processes, which may develop among population residing in the given region.