Evaluación de la contaminación en agua y suelo causada por cementerios en los cantones Quito, Mejía y Rumiñahui : Determinación de la idoneidad territorial de cementerios ubicados en zonas no adecuadas y ligeramente adecuadas en los cantones Quito, Mejía y Rumiñahui.

Abstract

Urban expansion, population growth, increased birth and mortality rates have created the need for the expansion and construction of spaces for the final disposal of corpses. The present study seeks to determine the territorial suitability of cemeteries located in unsuitable and slightly suitable areas through the validation of empirical environmental indices in the cantons of Quito, Mejía and Rumiñahui. For this, the starting point was the compilation of information of representative values corresponding to ten environmental and geological variables, which are: water table, distance to the body of water, precipitation, slope, soil texture, ambient temperature, number of graves, density population, age of the cemetery and geological faults. The sample size corresponds to 6 cemeteries within the aforementioned categories, 3 correspond to slightly suitable areas and the other 3 to unsuitable areas. The validation of the empirical environmental indices was carried out by verifying a series of empirical linear equations, proposed in previous studies, replacing the 10 variables with values obtained in the field up to the equations that have at least 2 variables. As a result, it was obtained that, despite the influence of atmospheric conditions, the difference between the initial category and the calculated one is not high, so the validity of the environmental indices is verified and the reliability in the use of the empirical equations. Therefore, this tool can be used by authorities to determine the suitability of a plot of land for cemeteries.