WATER AND LEACHATE MANAGEMENT AT A SANITARY LANDFILL IN EXTREME TROPICAL CONDITIONS, KUCHING, SARAWAK, MALAYSIA

In the extreme tropical area of Kuching with an annual rainfall between 6,500 and

7,200 mm a leachate treatment plant is operated which has to keep Standard B of the Malaysian

Environmental Quality Act 1974. The plant consists of biological, chemical and physical

treatment steps.

Since the plant´s capacity is limited to 350 m³/d the landfill operation – especially surface

covering – has to be done on a high level.

By using the statistical tool of the cumulated frequencies line it could be shown that the plant´s

performance with regard to the COD effluent concentration could be improved distinctly within

the last two years