SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL SITE SELECTION USING GIS AND REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGIES: A CASE STUDY IN DEBARK TOWN, AMHARA REGION, NORTH WESTERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

In the management of solid waste, sanitary landfill site selection is one of a significant issue, as solid waste disposal site selection is intricate activity and needs attention to several settings like societal, economic, geological and environmental matters. Selection of an appropriate waste disposal site for solid waste management activities has a significant part in urban planning. Locate the landfill site intends to get the locations that restrict risks to the environment and community well-being. The present study was carried out in Debark town, Amhara region, Northwestern Ethiopia by, using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) techniques, and geographic information system (GIS) tools to recognize an appropriate solid waste disposal site. The factors like distance from the (drainages, springs, lineaments, and roads), groundwater level, lithology, land use/land cover, precipitation, soil types, elevation, and slope were considered in the present study for the selection of suitable waste disposal sites. The abovementioned factors were prepared from the remote sensing data, secondary data, and field observations. We mapped the above-mentioned factors through a series of GIS analyses in the Arc GIS 10.6.1 environment. The selected factors and their feature’s weights and consistency ratios were calculated and checked, respectively, by using AHP procedures. The calculated weights of the thematic layers and its features were entered into the corresponding GIS files. Finally, we got the solid waste disposal site suitability map using the weighted linear combination method. The outcome of this study shows (2 km2 area) 2.50%, (3 km2 area) 3% and (77 km2 area) 94.5% of the area are highly, moderately, and unsuitable, respectively for the positioning of the solid waste disposal site in the present study area. The results of the present may provide information to the administrators and planners of the Debark town to locate a suitable site for solid waste disposal. The results of the present study show the effectiveness of the GIS and AHP methods in solid waste disposal site selection analysis