Estudo dos impactos ambientais ocasionados pelo cemitério municipal de Mocajuba (Pará, Brasil)

Abstract

Estudo dos impactos ambientais ocasionados pelo cemitério municipal de Mocajuba (Pará, Brasil)Study of environmental impacts caused by the municipal cemetery of Mocajuba (Pará, Brazil) ABSTRACTCemeteries are one of the principal sources of underground contamination, which may reach subterranean water reserves due to the inadequate characteristics of the sites on which they are built, given that the leachate produced by the decomposition of the corpses may come into contact with subterranean water sources. This is a major problem in the Amazon region, which has high rainfall rates and relatively shallow water tables. This study applied the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) geophysical tool to detect the existence of plumes of subsurface contamination at the municipal cemetery of the town of Tracuateua in Pará (Brazil). Samples of water from artesian wells located in the proximity of the cemetery were also obtained to determine the potability of the water consumed by the local residents, based on the analysis of coliform concentrations (total and thermotolerant), pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, salinity and total dissolved solids. A socio-environmental study was also conducted, based on interviews with local residents to verify the reasons why residents and public entities have bored artesian wells on their properties in the vicinity of the cemetery. The results of this study provide important insights for the protection of public health and the environment in the municipality of Tracuateua, and should alert the local authorities with regard to the environmental impacts caused by cemetery leachate when it reaches the subsurface, and in particular, the subterranean water sources present at the site.