Assessing the Impacts of Cemetery on Soil and Groundwater around the St. Peter Anglican Church’s Cemetery, Ikere-Ekiti, Southwestern Nigeria

Authors

  • Abel Ojo Talabi

    Department of Geology, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti P. M. B. 5363, Nigeria
  • Christopher Ayodele Ajayi

    Department of Geology, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti P. M. B. 5363, Nigeria
  • Oluwatoyin O. Akinola

    Department of Geology, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti P. M. B. 5363, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jees.v8i4.13160
Received: 12 February 2026 | Revised: 13 March 2026 | Accepted: 17 March 2026 | Published Online: 13 April 2026

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of St. Peter Anglican Church’s Cemetery, Ikere-Ekiti, Southwestern Nigeria, on surrounding soils and groundwater using a Two-Dimensional (2-D) Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), measured physical characteristics of selected 25 wells’ water and a standardized sanitary survey checklist of the wells. Wells’ locations were captured employing an eTrex 12 Channel Global Positioning System (GPS). Subsequently, in-situ parameters (temperature (℃), electric conductivity (EC (µS/cm)) and pH) were measured using a multiparameter portable meter (model Testr-35). Sanitary inspection revealed substantial variation in protective infrastructures. Thirteen of the twenty-five wells lacked cement bases, only one well (Well 25) was fenced, and a few wells near the cemetery exhibited marshy surroundings and inadequate covering, resulting in risk scores ranging from 20% to 50%. Measured in-situ parameters revealed that the pH ranged from 6.49–7.21, EC from 88–687 μS/cm, and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) from 44–343 mg/L. All physical parameters had values within the approved World Health Organization (WHO) standard for drinking water. The result of the ERT revealed that the leachate from the cemetery has accumulated within stations 15 and 19 (distances 75–95 m) to a depth of about 2.5 to 25 m around the South-Western part of Traverse 1. Traces of the leachates were observed around stations 7 to 9 within a depth range of 0–7.5 m along the North-Eastern part of Traverse 2. Overall, the results showed that the quality of groundwater is suitable for domestic use, as most wells have good infrastructure built up that prevented percolation of leachates.

Keywords:

Cemetery; Electrical Resistivity Tomography; Sanitary Inspection; Physical Parameters; Leachates

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How to Cite

Talabi, A. O., Christopher, A., & Akinola, O. O. (2026). Assessing the Impacts of Cemetery on Soil and Groundwater around the St. Peter Anglican Church’s Cemetery, Ikere-Ekiti, Southwestern Nigeria. Journal of Environmental & Earth Sciences, 8(4), 117–129. https://doi.org/10.30564/jees.v8i4.13160

Issue

Vol. 8 , Iss. 4 (April 2026): In Progress

Article Type

Article

License

Copyright © 2026 Abel Ojo Talabi, Christopher Ayodele Ajayi , Oluwatoyin O. Akinola

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

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