Investigação dos efeitos poluidores do lixão sobre o ecossistema local no município de Quixelô-CE.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to diagnose the environmental impacts associated with poor waste management and propose environmental control measures that contribute to mitigating damage and restoring the degraded area. The research was based on theoretical assumptions of environmental impact assessment, integrated solid waste management, and current environmental legislation, which prohibits the maintenance of open-air dumps and requires proper waste disposal. The methodology applied included delimiting and georeferencing the dump's direct and indirect area of influence, preparing a simplified environmental diagnosis based on secondary data, field observations, and recognized impact assessment techniques such as checklists, the ad hoc method, and interaction matrices. The results demonstrated that irregular waste disposal significantly compromises the abiotic, biotic, and anthropogenic environments, causing soil and water contamination, harmful atmospheric emissions, the proliferation of disease vectors, biodiversity loss, and a degraded quality of life for nearby communities. It was also found that most impacts were classified as very significant, with some being irreversible, such as the bioaccumulation of heavy metals and the loss of natural habitats. The study concludes that the adoption of preventive, mitigating, and compensatory measures, combined with the development of environmental management programs and the implementation of selective waste collection, is essential to reverse the current situation and promote a sustainable waste management model in the municipality.