Contemporary Research Analysis Journal

The purpose of this research is to examine the soil and water contamination levels of specific heavy metals at the Ugwuaji site, which was formerly the Enugu central dumpsite but is now a residential and agricultural community. At 15-meter intervals in each of the four cardinal directions, we gathered soil and water from the study area, while a 100-meter distance served as a control. To measure the extent of pollution, the pollution and geoaccumulation index was employed. According to the findings, the area is dirtier in the north and east than in the west and south. To the east, west, north, and south, respectively, the soil PI values for Cd and Pb were 245.28 mg/kg, 222.15 mg/kg, 239.53 mg/kg, and 218.48 mg/kg, which were the most dominant elements. Percolation index values for lead in soil are 28.87 mg/kg in east, 26.0 mg/kg in west, 28.01 mg/kg in north, and 20.92 mg/kg in south. While in water the order is Pb>Cd>Cr>As>Hg, and in soil it is Cd > Pb >Hg > As > Cr, the pollution index and geoaccumulation index measure the same thing in water. There is a great deal of contamination, as indicated by the high geoaccumulation index and pollution levels. It is clear that the investigated region provides a significant threat to human health and the environment, rendering it unfit for residential or agricultural use without substantial rehabilitation.

Ugwuaji, Assessment, Heavy metals, Pollution index, Geoaccumulation index, Direction.

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