Selection of potential sites for sanitary landfilling o f solid wastes using GIS and Analytic Hierarchy Process

Abstract

The accelerated growth of human settlements has been resulting in enhanced waste generation in the modern world. The improper waste disposal practices upswing enormous harms on the environment. In order to get rid of this strategy, sanitarylandfilling is one option. Landfill site selection is an extremely difficult task to be accomplished because it depends on different factors and regulations. To ensure that an appropriate site is chosen, a systematic process should be developed and followed. In this study, a model was developed using the geographical information system (GIS) to identify the potential landfilling sites. Seventeen criteria under three main aspects such as environmental aspects, physical and social aspects and economic aspects were considered. Distance from surface water courses, natural reserves, wetlands and water supply sources, soil type, land use pattern, terrain, slope and rainfall were environmental criteria. Distance from important buildings, culturally, historically and archeologically interested places, tourist areas, town and village centers, railways and roads are criteria under physical and social aspects. Distance from waste generators, roads and slope are economic criteria. The suitability maps for landfilling in Kandy district were obtained using the developed GIS model.Most of portion of suitable area is lies within the,Minipe and Uda Dumbara district secretariat divisions according to the study.