CHAPTER ONE

1.0     GENERAL INTRODUCTION

The total amount of water in the earth is virtually constant but it’s distribution over time and space varies to a great extent. Wherever people live, they must have a clean and continuous supply of water as a primary requirement of human beings. The assessment of quality, supply and renewal of water is a well known problem, but it is becoming critical with the growth of population and rapid industrialization in Nigeria. The rising population in Nigeria of about 180 million requires knowledge of proper waste disposal. Wastes are dumped recklessly with little environmental regards in major cities of many states in Nigeria including Kwara state. Increase in population, changes or improvement in wages, massive expansion of the urban areas and the changing lifestyle or better standard of living, as well as improvement in technology in Nigeria has encouraged solid waste generation (UNICEF 2001). Although solid waste is an asset when properly managed. Its volume has continued to increase tremendously in recent times. In Nigeria, much has been, and is being, invested on municipal solid waste management in cities. Little progress has been made because of severe financial, technological and institutional constraints within the public and the private sectors. There is erratic growth of housing units in the inner core of urban cities (Ojeshina, 1999; Omishakin and Sridhar; 1985). Waste can be defined as any material lacking direct value to the producer and so must be disposed off. Similarly, waste is any material that is thrown away as unwanted material (UNICEF 2006). The trend of uncontrolled and haphazard construction of groundwater facilities particularly shallow wells in the residential area with refuse sites is of great health concern, as this may contribute significantly to adverse impact of the aquifer as a result of overdependence and over abstraction with attendant negative effects. The term ”solid waste” means any garbage, refuse, or sludge from a waste treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semisolid, industries mining etc. Solid waste can however be classified into different types, depending on their source; household waste is generally classified as municipal waste; industrial waste as hazardous waste, and biomedical waste or hospital waste as infectious waste. 

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