Impact of waste disposal from tannery on surface and groundwater, Sheba leather factory near Wukro, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia
Department of Geology, Samara University, Samara, Afar Region, Ethiopia; Department of Earth Science, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Mekelle University, P.O.Box 3066, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
Gebru, H., Department of Geology, Samara University, Samara, Afar Region, Ethiopia; Tadesse, N., Department of Earth Science, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Mekelle University, P.O.Box 3066, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia; Konka, B., Department of Earth Science, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Mekelle University, P.O.Box 3066, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
A preliminary study was conducted collecting geological, geophysical and geochemical data around Sheba Leather Factory near Wukro town northern Ethiopia to know the impact of waste from tannery on the nearby surface and groundwater. The area forms part of Mesozoic stratigraphy of northern Ethiopia and consists of limestone, shale and their intercalation showing well developed bedding, joints, fractures and karst topography. The solid and liquid waste from the tannery is disposed into NW to SE flowing stream. Six vertical electrical soundings (VES) conducted and 12 surface and groundwater samples were collected around the Factory. VES data indicate presence of four geoelectrical layers about 60m depth penetration and varies in actual resistivity from 13.29 to 125 ohm-m. VES conducted near reservoir and tannery clearly indicates recharge from them up to a depth of about 10m. Relatively higher values for sodium, sulphate, nitrate and chromium in water particularly test pit samples from about 5m depth clearly indicate the effect of tannery disposal on surface and groundwater. The length of the area affected due to waste disposal is about 760m long and 10m deep downstream from the tannery. © 2012 CAFET-INNOVA TECHNICAL SOCIETY.
Ethiopia; Tannery; Tigray; VES; Wukro; Chromium; Electric prospecting; Groundwater; Leather; Reservoirs (water); Sodium; Stratigraphy; Tanning; Water quality; Waste disposal; environmental impact; geoelectric field; groundwater; industrial waste; surface water; vertical electrical sounding; waste disposal; water quality; Ethiopia; Tigray