Site suitability analysis for solid waste management using multi criteria analysis

Abstract

Solid waste management is the most challenging problem of the current world. Due to rapid urbanization and growing population there is a huge increase in solid wastes which need to be disposed properly without causing any environmental problem or adverse effect on human. There are so many methods for waste disposal in practice, but sustainable solid waste management needs the selection of a suitable site along with suitable criteria of consideration. In the present study, with the help of geospatial techniques site suitability for solid waste disposal has been assessed cost effectively for Kattankulathur block of Kancheepuram district in Tamil Nadu. The satellite images and field data gives a complete idea about the surface criteria and Geographic Information system (GIS) helps us to analyse all the spatial and non-spatial data to get the desirable output. Toposheets, LANDSAT TM and ASTER DEM data have been used for generation of various layers like transportation, drainage, geomorphology, land use/land cover and geology in Arc GIS platform. By using Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA), different ranks and weightages have been assigned to all thematics according to their suitability. The different thematics have been overlayed and final site suitability map for solid waste disposal has been obtained. The entire block has been divided into five classes according to suitability criteria as very high, high, moderate, low and unsuitable for solid waste disposal.