1.

INTRODUCTION
Municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, treatment and disposal are both economic and
environmental problem of concern, for the urban communities, especially in fast population
growing cities like Bahir dar. The magnitude increases day to day due to fast growing
population and migration of people from rural to urban areas. The MSW, generated from
Bahir dar city, is collected and disposed off in unscientifically managed dumping site. The
growth of MSW in Bahir dar city has been going faster than the population growth in
recent years (Ato Awoke). This trend can be ascribed for their changing lifestyles, food
habits, and change in living standards. MSW in city is collected by respective municipality
and transported to disposal sites

Landfilling is one of the most common ways of municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal in
developing countries. In Bahir dar city the method of solid waste disposal is on land’s surface
dumping, resulting in potential sources of groundwater and surface water contamination, because
of leachate production. MSW is made up of different organic and inorganic fractions like
food, vegetables, paper, wood, plastics, glass, metal and other inert materials. Improper land fill
disposal of municipal solid waste is impact on public health and environmental hazards; there is
a biochemically active unit, where toxic substances are leached or created from combinations of
non-toxic substances, and gradually released into the surrounding environment over a period of
decades. Biological, chemical and physical processes within landfills promote the degradation of
waste and result in the production of leachates and gases. Landfill leachate is one of the most
contaminant wastes and can be considered as a potential source of contamination to surface and
groundwater ecosystems.

Leachates consist of water and water-soluble compounds in refuse that accumulate as the water
moves through the landfill. This water may originate from rainfall or from the waste itself (Hubé
et al., 2011; Hughes et al., 2008). Leachates contain toxic contaminants which may cause harm
to both humans and the environment. Factors that affect leachate generation are climate
(rainfall), topography (run-on/runoff), landfill cover, vegetation and type of waste (Jaber &
Nassar, 2007).

1.1 Objectives

1.1.1 General Objective

The main objective of this study was to estimate the generated leachate quantity and percolation
to groundwater aquifers in Bahir dar city MSW landfill disposal, using the water balance method
(WBM).

1.1.2 Specific Objective

2. EXISTING MSW OPEN LAND DISPOSAL
2.1 Solid waste management
Waste generation, waste handling and separation, storage and processing, collection and
transport, and final disposal are some of the important practices done for sound solid
waste management. The collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of solid wastes,
particularly wastes generated in urban cities, have been becoming difficult problem to solve
for those responsible for their management. The problem is more critical in economically
developing countries, where financial, human, and other critical resources generally are scarce.
Solid waste is the stream of garbage collected by sanitation services from homes, businesses, and
institutions. MSW typically consists of metals, glass, plastics, paper, wood, organics, mixed
categories, and composite products. The majority of collected MSW that is not recycled is
typically sent to landfills engineered areas of land where waste is deposited, compacted,
and covered. The New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and the state and federal plans
implementing the emission guidelines for MSW landfills regulate air emissions from landfills
that receive household waste. (EPA, 2008).

2.2 Waste Generation in Bahir Dar city

The solid waste generation rate at Bahir Dar is increasing at a relatively fast rate due to
the increase in population and related activities.

2.2.1 Waste Generators and the Civil Society

Households:

Bahir Dar has roughly 80’000 households (extrapolation based on CSA, 2007). They are
responsible for filling their solid waste in collection bags and for payment of the service fees.
The community in each Kebele Administration has the right to elect a kebele council.
However, these kebele councils have very limited power in comparison with the City
Administration.

Commercials

The business sector which includes shops, hotels, restaurants, markets, garages etc. has
7,040 commercials (UNEP, 2010a). They are responsible for filling their solid waste in
collection bags and for payment of the service fees.

Institutions
Institutions include governmental and non-governmental bureaus, schools, universities, colleges,
hospitals and clinics, training centers, prisons, churches, mosques, etc. They are responsible for
filling their solid waste in collection bags and for paying the service fee.

2.3 Collection (Storage, Transfer and Transportation) of the Generated Solid Waste

Before 2009 the collection system was using 70 garbage containers which were situated in the
city. The generators were responsible to bring their waste up to the area where containers were
placed. And the secondary collection and transportation were the responsibilities of the
city service. But, after 2009 the collection system changed to door-to-door collection and
all the responsibility goes to a private company. The company’s waste collection coverage is
most of the residential and commercial sources, and some of institutional waste sources.

2.4 Solid Waste Separation and Minimization Activities

From observation solid waste separation activities, in the city is that solid wastes, capable of
being sold to Quraleos or exchanged with liwach, like included textile and old shoes, tin and
metals, plastics, glass, bottles, cans and broken electronic gadgets. In additionally households
are currently separating solid wastes for compost and alternative sources of energy. Some of
the solid wastes, separated by such a small number of households, include agricultural and
food wastes to be used for home gardens and grass, leaf, sugarcane wastes, cattle waste,
and wood scraps to be used as fuel. It resulting to some extent organic wastes was separated.
The recycling of the solid waste is insignificant. Most of the waste is disposed to the open field
disposal site

4.5 Existing Disposal site

From observation and interview with the head of (Dr. Berhanu) revealed that there is no
controlled sanitary landfill in Bahir Dar. The site is situated in and around the city areas as low-
lying open spaces, unclaimed lands, and roadsides. There is currently one open dumpsite, where
all collected wastes are disposed. Established 15 years ago, it is known as Sebatamite
municipal solid waste disposal site, which is in south eastern part of the city, about 6.5
kilometers away from the city center (Figure4). With an area of 3-4 hectares, the dumping site is
common place for disposal of all types of solid wastes.

The municipal solid waste is dumped on land, more or less in an uncontrolled manner. It is an
open field disposal, close to rural settlements, and is not covered with soil daily, which
causes nuisance and health hazards for the people living nearby. There is no leachate
containment or treatment protection at the bottom by neither a geomembrane nor any required
infrastructure. Also the site features no rainwater drain off, no odor or vector control, and no
fence which can easily result in blowing of the litters as well as spreading of wastes
outside the site, on the surrounding. There is no machinery (compactor or graders) to
regularly work in the disposal site. This uncontrolled burning of solid wastes releases smoke
and other types of air pollution. In the disposal site, leachate may percolate and contaminate
surface and ground water as this site is not designed for leachate containment protection. The
sources of ground and surface water may be contaminated by these percolated wastes.
People use this type of water for different purposes like bathing, washing, drinking, and
farming. Also, contaminated water is harmful for fish and aquatic lives as the amount of
dissolved oxygen in the water is reduced.

Figure: Existing open land dump site

Disposal facility

Open field disposal (no sanitary landfill), Disposal site is located Sebatamit close to rural
settlements & 3-4 km from the center of the city. This is affecting the community living near to
the site and easy to access for domestic animals. As a result of this farmers are losing their
animals because animals eat the plastic and die of it. There is no treatment at the disposal site and
no machinery to work regularly at the disposal site.

Dump site Operation

The major operations involved in site include spreading and leveling of wastes. The waste is not
covered with soil or any other cover material which provides a breeding ground for pests and
diseases.

Leachate Management

Bahir dar city dump site does not possess a leachate management system which prevents the
toxic liquid waste leaking into the environment. As a result the leachate from the site is a
potential source of surface and ground water pollution. In order to minimize the environmental
and social impacts of the landfill, Bahir dar city administration is on the process of planned to
construct a leachate treatment facility for the disposal site.

Records

At sebatamit dump site records are maintained on daily basis to determine the volume and type
of waste which is disposed of / number of trips for which vehicles made. Waste Recycling and
Disposal Project (which is under City Manager of Bahir dar city) planned to construct a Truck
scale system.
2.2 LEACHATE

Landfill leachate is the liquid that has percolated through solid waste extracting dissolved
or suspended materials from the waste. The dissolution and suspension of contaminants,
which were stationary in the refuse, are mobilized producing contaminated leachate.
Leachate normally is made up of the liquid which enters the landfill from external
sources and the liquid produced from the decomposition of the wastes. These external
sources may be composed of surface drainage, rainfall, groundwater, underground springs,
and recalculated leachate previously removed from the landfill. As the liquid percolates
through the solid wastes that are undergoing decomposition, both biological materials and
chemical constituents are leached into the solution.

The chemical composition (or quality) will vary greatly depending on a number of factors
including the quantity produced, the original nature of the waste, the various chemical and
biochemical reactions which may be occurring, the age of the landfill, and the events going on
inside the landfill

2.2.1 Leachate Generation

Leachate is the liquid generated by the action of water (rainwater or infiltrating groundwater) and
liquids present within the initial waste percolating through the stored waste within a landfill cell.
It is formed as the preventive mechanism fails. The volume of leachate generated is obtained
from the mass balance for all the water receiving and removing from the site.

Although the quantity of leachate produced is affected to some extent by decomposition

reactions, it is largely governed by the amount of external water entering the landfill and
the initial moisture content of the waste when loaded. Various techniques have been
developed to estimate the free water or leachate production using a water balance (or
water budget) on the landfill. These methods consider a mass balance among precipitation,
surface runoff, evapotranspiration, and waste moisture storage (Crawford and Smith 1985).
This balance is accomplished by summing all the water inputs to the landfill and
subtracting all the water lost as water vapor or consumed in chemical reactions. The
resultant water is held in the landfill material. If this water exceeds the field capacity of the
material, leachate is generated. A water definition sketch of a landfill cell is given in
Figures 3a and 3b. It breaks the flows into several water inputs (from above, from waste
moisture, from cover material, and from sludge) and water losses (formation of gas, water
vapor out, and water out below) (Tchobanoglous et al. 1993). The following discussions will
focus on the various inputs and outputs of the leachate in the landfill.

2.2.2 Evapotranspiration

The major landfill water input is from precipitation. Most models (HSSWDS and HELP for
example) separate the precipitation into evapotranspiration, runoff, and subsurface drainage
(or infiltration). During a given rainfall, water is continually being intercepted by trees,
plants, root surfaces, etc. Evaporation and transpiration are ongoing and continue after the
rainfall has ended (Perrier and Gibson 1982). Evaporation is the changing of water from a
liquid to a gas using energy from the sun for this change of state.

HERE IS THE FIGURE THAT SHOW EVAPORATION

Figure 3a. Illustration of water movement in a landfill (After EMCON 1980).

Figure 3b. Sketch of a landfill cell (After Tchobanoglous eta/. 1993).

The next accountable loss of rainfall water is through transpiration. Transpiration is the
passage of water from the ground through the roots of plants into the leaves and to the
atmosphere. Although a small quantity of this water may be retained in the plant for growth,
the bulk of the water taken up in the roots passes through the plant and is returned to the
atmosphere. It is difficult to separate evaporation and transpiration when the ground is
cultivated. Thus, it is normal practice to combine these two water losses and call it
evapotranspiration. The amount of moisture returned to the atmosphere through
evapotranspiration varies depending on the precipitation, temperature, humidity, and type
of plants. Some plants can have deeper roots and draw water from deeper depths. The water
which enters the soil from precipitation is known as infiltration water. The amount of
infiltration depends on the runoff characteristics, the gradient of the slope, and the
permeability of the surface.

2.2.3 Surface Runoff

After precipitation gains and evapotranspiration losses are found, the next task is to
determine infiltration. Rain falling on the surface will infiltrate or run off the soil (due to
gravity). Infiltration depends on the porosity and permeability of the soil layer. Soils which
contain sand and gravel can absorb substantial quantities of water during heavy rainfall
producing little surface runoff, while clays produce runoff from the start of short periods of
light rainfall. Infiltration rates increase if the soil is dry. However, as soil becomes saturated,
the infiltration rate decreases, particularly if the soil consists of very fine particles or colloids,
which swell slightly when coming into contact with moisture. Dense vegetation can
sometimes increase infiltration as the roots prevent compaction of the soil and also dries
the subsoil through the transpiration of the water into the atmosphere (Crawford and
Smith 1985).

Surface ponding and runoff occurs when rainfall is in excess of evapotranspiration and
infiltration. When the rain begins to fall, it fulfills the initial requirements of saturating
the top layer. Natural depressions then begin to collect the water in small puddles.

In addition, minute depths of water begin to build up on permeable and impermeable

surfaces within the waste disposal site. This stored water collects in small rivulets,
conveying the water into small channels in surface runoff. The rate of the runoff is
affected by the characteristics of the catchment area. The area, orientation, slope, shapes,
vegetation, topography, and altitude of the catchment affect the runoff rates. The
installation of artificial drainage channels convey water off the landfill to enhance runoff
(Crawford and Smith 1985).

2.2.4 Moisture Content

Moisture content of solid waste is the weight loss (expressed in percent) when a sample of solid
waste is dried to a constant weight at a temperature of 100 to 105 oC. The % of moisture
contained in a solid waste sample can be calculated on a dry or wet basis. Moisture content has a
great influence on the heat of combustion as well as in the biological processes of organic matter.
It depends on organic matter, weather, type of source etc. Field capacity is the moisture content
retained by the mixed solids against the force of gravity. It varies with the degree of applied
pressure and state of decomposition of the waste, for un-compacted wastes from residential to
commercial areas, ranging from 50 to 60%.
3. METHODOLOGY AND MATERIAL

3.1 Description of the study Area

Bahir Dar is the capital city of the Amhara National Regional State. Bihar Dar has evolved to be
a major tourist hub of the country. Lake Tana (where the Blue Nile River starts) and the
monasteries in the islands of the lake are major truism attractions. Because of this the hotel,
industry is the fast growing in the area. There are also few emerging industries in Bihar Dar
(textile, agro-processing, and plastic industries). The construction industry is also growing very
fast. Bahir Dar is converting more and more land into streets, parking lots, hotels and the
population is also increasing rapidly parallel to its growth which increases the amount of solid
and liquid wastes disposed to the environment.

3.1.1 Location and Topography

The city of Bahir Dar is located in the north western part of Ethiopia and 560 Km far from
Addis Ababa the capital city of Ethiopia. It covers an area of 16000 hectares and has
population of 220, 000(UNEP, 2010a). Bahir Dar is located at 11°36” North latitudes and
37°23" East longitudes (Kassie, 2016). The topography of land scape is flat.

Figure. Map of the study area

3.1.2 Climate and Rainfall

The climate of the region is generally sub-tropical with an extended dry period of nine to ten
months and a maximum effective rainy season of 50-60 days. Considering the rainfall,
atmospheric temperature and evapotranspiration, more than 90% of the region is categorized as
semi-arid. The temperature in Bahirdar ranges from 11.5 to 30.65oC and annual rainfall varies
from 24.0 to 618.5mm/month.

3.1.3 socio-economics

The living standard of urban communities is low, medium and some of high living standards.
The city is under categorized as suitable for developing but medium living standards.

3.2 Methodology

The study used both quantitative and qualitative primary data. Documents and literature analysis,
informant interviews, focus group discussions and field observations were conducted to collect
the required data for this study. Secondary data was collected based on some materials based
data collection system and also some literatures have also been used. These include taking the
map of the study area from Google earth, capturing the study area by camera and computer.
3.3 Materials and tools

The materials that have been used in this study were computer based applications. The software
that used in this study was:

 Google earth
 Camera
 Microsoft excels and
 Microsoft word etc.

3.4 Sources, Composition and Characterization of Bahir dar city Solid Waste

Source, Composition and characteristics of solid waste are critical in planning, designing, and
operating and management systems of solid waste. Physical composition, moisture content,
compacted unit weight, permeability are the most important solid waste characteristics to be
considered in planning, operating and managing a system and relevant to estimation a controlling
of leachate production.

3.4.1 Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)

Municipal solid waste (MSW) includes solid or semi-solid materials that a possessor, in
residential (households), institutional or commercial and industrial establishment, no longer
considers of sufficient value to retain or discarded materials.

Table: Typical Municipal Solid Waste Generation (MSW) of Bahir dar

Classification of wastes Descriptions

Food waste All food product waste
Paper Office paper, computer paper, magazine, glossy paper,
and another paper not fitting the categories of news
print and news paper
Plastic All plastics
Textile Textiles (old clothes)
Rubber rubbers
Leather Lathers (bag, coat, shoes etc.)
Yard waste Branches’ ,twigs, leaves ,grass, and, other plant materials
Wood & Charcoal Food product, pallets, and furniture
Glass All glass
Metals Iron, steel, tin cans and bi metal cans (Construction and
Demolition)
Ash & soil Sand, clay, silt and street sweeps
Stone Crashed stone, aggregate
Animal remain Dead animals,
Hazardous Hospital wastes and some industrial wastes
E-Waste Electronics, (broken computers and television, printer etc.)
Others Ceramics, and dirt rocks, plaster, nonferrous nonaluminum
metals(copper, brass, etc.) and bones

3.5 Bahir Dar Sanitary landfill (Rehabilitation Landfill)

The existing disposal site was not well designed and managed, and they are open landfill (no
sanitary landfill) and also located close to rural settlements and not at appropriate distance
from the center of the city. Due to the above cases dumping sites have negative impacts on soil,
ground water and human beings.

Currently sanitary landfill for Bahir dar municipal solid waste (MSW) is now under construction;
it located at the existing open landfill 3-4 km from the center of the city. The sanitary landfill
project was designed by Ethiopia federal democratic republic (EFDRE) and Japan Fukuoka.
The design period of this project is up to the life service of facilities (Fukuoka).

Sanitary landfill of Bahir Dar consists; cells (3 cells) liner system, leachate collection pipe and
leachate control pond/semi-aerobic leachate treatment system, final cover system, surface water
drainage system and environmental controlling system.

Factors considered in landfill site selection; low population density, low alternate land use value,
low ground water and surface water contamination potential, distance to nearest drinking well,
distance to nearest office building, erosion and runoff and critical environment.

Figure: Sanitary landfill area of Bahir dar

3.5.1 Quantification of the Leachate Production from Bahir Dar Sanitary Landfill

The production of leachate from Bahir Dar sanitary landfill site was estimated by using water
balance method (WBM) and Fukuoka method. Bahir Dar sanitary landfill was designed semi-
aerobically, based on the Fukuoka Method. In this method leachate is collected in leachate
collection ponds through properly sized perforated concrete pipe materials.

In general, landfill leachate characteristics and volumes are highly varied, and mainly depend on
several factors such as wastes composition and its moisture content, disposal method, landfill
age, and climatological conditions. The high moisture content of the dumped wastes and rainfall
precipitation, especially in developing countries results in high water storage in landfills, which
enhances the accumulation of acids. As a consequence, the carbon-based substances in such
acidic landfills tend to be decomposed to leachate rather than released as gases.

The evaluation of landfill leachate quality and quantities is essential for assessing its
environmental impact, as well as for treatment and management purposes. The factors that
influence the leachate production process vary in time and space; hence the evaluation process
becomes more difficult and complex.

Water Balance Method (WBM)

WBM is a simple mathematical calculation between the water inputs and outputs
of a landfill, which can be carried out by summing the water amounts that
percolate to a landfill’s body with the water content of the dumped wastes, then
abstracting the lost water by waste degradation, gas generation, etc.

Hypothetical water balance equation

The water balance of the landfill was derived; making use of assumptions in instances where it is
applicable that leachate generated in dumped wastes is calculated by using the following
equation.

L = P + R𝑜𝑛+U+ Wm −E −Roff − FC

Where; L = leachate from the landfill (m3/year)

P = precipitation (m3/year)

Ron = run-on surface water (m3/year)

E =evapotranspiration (m3/year)

Roff = run-off surface water (m3/year)

U = under flow of ground water into landfill (m3/year)

Wm = the water content in the dumped wastes (m3/year)

FC = landfill’s field capacity

In this study (Bahir dar sanitary landfill), a number of assumptions were applied to derive
and simplify the WBM equations because of unavailability of data. These assumptions
were based on the landfill’s characteristics (field observed).

The assumptions included:

The water entering the landfill is assumed to be only from rainfall, because the
landfill is located far from surface water bodies.
The landfill’s operation area protected by embankment to prevent the water
amount entering from the surface runoff. Therefore the water amount entering
from the surface runoff is assumed to be neglected (Ron=0).
 No water contribution is due to the raising of the aquifer table.
The consumed water during waste biodegradation and gas formation is assumed to
be insignificant.

Table: Bahir dar landfill site characteristics

Characteristics Value Source

Total population 248,833
Waste disposed (tons/day) 112
Maximum rainfall (mm/month) 618.5 BCAEPSBO
Total area (m2) 15900
Depth of layer (m) 10 Fukuoka
Leachate collection pipe (cm) Concrete (30 cm)
Number of cells 3
Design period up to service of facilities Fukuoka

Therefore, water infiltration (Q) from the landfill surface can be calculated by the
following equation

Q = P – E – Roff

Where; Q = the water amount entering the waste body (m 3/year)

P = precipitation (m3/year)

E = evaporation (m3/year)

Roff = the surface runoff from the landfill (m3/year)

The percolated water to the landfill is subjected to be absorbed by the dumped

wastes until reaching the landfill’s field capacity (FC). Field capacity (FC) can be
defined as the maximum water quantities that can be held in the waste body against the
pull of gravity. As a result, excess water leaches and moves toward the landfill’s sides
and bottom.

The landfill’s leachate (L) movement is assumed to occur only under saturated
conditions, when the infiltrated water and the dumped wastewater content surpass the
landfill’s field capacity.

L = Q + Wm– FC

Where; Wm = the water content in the dumped wastes.

FC = the landfill’s field capacity.

Steps for Water Balance Method (WBM) Calculation

Analyses the available meteorological data, including precipitation (P) and evaporation
(E), etc.
Calculate the surface runoff from dumped waste (Roff):

Roff = CR x P

Where; CR = the surface runoff coefficient.

P= precipitation

Calculate the water infiltration (Q) to the landfill:

Q1= P – E – Roff.

Calculate the actual water content inside the landfill due to rainfall and the water
content of the dumped wastes (Store1)
Store1= Q1+ Wm
Calculate the landfill’s field capacity (FC).

FC = DW x FC (%)

Where; DW = the dry weight of the dumped wastes.

Calculate the generated leachate (L1)

L1 = Store1 – FC

If Store1 > FC, leachate can be formed; otherwise, a moisture deficit occurs and there is no
leachate formation.

Calculate the penetration portion (Q2) of the recirculate leachate (RL)

RL = L1 * % (percentage)

Q2= RL – E2

Where; E2 = evaporation in volumes (m3/year)

Calculate the generated leachate with recirculation (L2)

L2 = Store2– FC,

Where; Store2 is the sum of Store1and Q2

But in our case we used water balance method (WBM) with the principle of Fukuoka method
considered the above assumptions.
 L = C*P*A + Wm

Where; L = leachate produced from land fill (m3/year)

P = precipitation (m3/year)

A= area of site (m2)

Wm = the water content in the dumped wastes (m3/year)

C = precipitation coefficient

The total leachate produced from land fill was calculated by simplified above equation.

Q = C*P*A

Where; Q = the water entered from precipitation (m3/year)

L = Q + Wm

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Population Growth and Solid Waste Generation Rate of Bahir dar
The solid waste generation rate at Bahir Dar is increasing at a relatively fast rate due to
the increase in population and related activities.

Table: population growth and waste generation and future projections (tons/day) for Bahir Dar

Yea Population Waste Generation

r (tons/day)
2010 218,975 98.5
2011 233,427 105
2012 248,833 112
2013 265,256 119.4
2014 287,763 129.5
2015 301,425 135.6
2016 321,319 144.6
2017 342,526 154
2018 365,333 164.4
2019 389,232 175.2
2020 414,921 186.7
2021 442,306 199
2022 471,498 212.2
Source:

The future projected number of population and quantity of waste generated is usually estimated
based on past recorded data. The number of population and quantity of waste generated is used
to determines the size and number facility units and equipment required for managing and
operating the waste.

Calculations

1. Landfill area

The area of land fill divided in to two; such as improvement area and new area (two cells).

A. Improvement Area

Total length of 120m and total width of 50m land fill and the embankment provided to
preventing the entering of surface run on to landfill and runoff from landfill and the embankment
is trapezoidal shaped. The bottom and top width of embankment is 3m and 12m respectively.

Net effective width of landfill = total width of 50m- (2*7.5m) = 35m.

Net effective length of landfill = total length of 120m - (2*7.5m) = 105m.

Improvement area (A) = length*width

A = (120 – 7.5*2) * (50 – 7.5*2) = 3,675m2 (roughly 3,700m2)

 B. New Area

The new area divided in to two equal cells, total length 90m and total width 90m of each cell
land fill and the embankment provided to preventing the entering of surface run on to landfill and
runoff from landfill the embankment is trapezoidal shaped with side slope of 1:1.5 (Figure:). The
bottom and top width of embankment is 3m and 12m respectively.

Effective area for cell one = (90 – 7.5*2) * (90 – (7.5- 1.5)) = 6,075m2 (roughly 6,100m2)

Effective area for cell two = (90 – 7.5*2) * (90 – (7.5- 1.5)) = 6,075m2 (roughly 6,100m2)

Total area (AT) = Improvement area + Area for cell one + Area for cell two

AT = 3,700m2 + 6,100m2 + 6,100m2 = 15900 m2

2. Calculation of Leachate production of Landfill

Due to unavailability of data total production leachate was calculated as follow.

Total leachate from land fill denoted as L (m3/day)

L = C*I*A

Where; L = Total leachate produced from landfill (m3/day)

I = Daily rainfall at the site (mm/day the historical maximum monthly rainfall volume:

Aug., 2009: 618.5mm/month) (Table :).

A = Landfill area (m2) = 15900 m2

C = Leachate coefficient (0.4 to 0.7)

Leachate coefficient (C) represented: evaporation, field capacity, water absorptive by gas …etc
(Fukuoka).

Therefore; L = 0.4*(618.5mm/31days)*1/1000* 15900 m2 = 126.90 m3/day

Total leachate produced was 126.90 m3/day.

3. Calculation of the leachate control pond capacity

Leachate control/leachate treatment semi-aerobic system was provided to protect human health
and environmental due to the impact of leachate. The leachate control pond was trapezoidal
shaped, concrete perforated leachate collection pipe (30cm) with air ventilated provided. The
bottom and top width of pond was 3m and 4m respectively, additional free board of 0.5m,
detention period 4 to 5 days and two compartments total length of 180m(Figure).
Capacity of the leachate control pond (V) = leachate produced x detention period

V = 126.90 m3/day x 5days = 6345 m3

Table: Bahir dar monthly rainfall data

Source: Bahird Dar City Administration Environmental Protection, Sanitation, Beautification

Office.
Figure: Layout of Bahir Dar Rehabilitation sanitary landfill

Figure: Landfill embankment

Figure: Leachate control pond