HUMAN VERSUS NATURE: AN INTEGRATED GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE IMPACT OF CONVENTIONAL BURIAL PRACTICES ON SOIL AND CROP QUALITY IN ARABLE LANDS ADJOINING JOS HYBRID CEMETERY, NIGERIA

Conventional burial practices have made the use of cemeteries an unsafe land use practice in urban areas. Cemeteries represent a source of environmental liability due to their potential to accumulate chemicals used in embalming and the release of large quantities of contaminants from decomposing corpses buried in confined and unconfined (uncontained) graves. High population densities and the problem of land shortages for agricultural purposes in urban areas such as Jos metropolis, Plateau state, Nigeria has led to the unavailability of farmlands for agricultural activities hence, people cultivate plants on available pieces of land without careful consideration of the possible risk of contamination that could trigger short- or long-term life-threatening diseases. The soil and plants adjoining these area are at high risk of being contaminated due to leachate migration. This study focuses on the assessment of soil and crop vulnerability to leachate contamination using the 2-D electrical resistivity method and laboratory studies. Wenner-Schlumberger configuration was applied to three profiles (TLA-TLC) measuring 120 m with 5 m spacing in an arable land within the cemetery (TLA), 100 m away from the cemetery (TLB) and at 300 m away from the cemetery (TLC) serving as a control site. Soil and plant were analysed for microbial using Serial Dilation (Pour Plate Method) and heavy metal concentration such as; Molybdenum, Zirconium, Rubidium, Strontium, Niobium, Nitrate and Lead using X-Ray Fluorescence (Thermo Scientific Handheld Niton XL3t) analyzer. The results from this study are diagnostic of: low to moderate resistivity values <18- 169 Ωm up to a depth of 16 m; microorganisms (Staphylococcus faecal, Escherichia coli, Proteus spp., and Salmonella typhi), and heavy metals (Molybdenum, Zirconium, Strontium, Niobium, Lead, etc.) in the soil and crops. The low resistivity values and high heavy metal concentrations in the soil and crops within the vicinity of the cemetery are indicative of a high degree of contamination and a progressive decrease in the extent of contamination further away from this land use is observed. The presence of high Lead (Pb) concentration in soil and crop samples from TLC (control site) suggests the influence of factors in close geological proximity. Findings from this study is a pointer to short- and long-term threats to the environment and its inhabitants.