Assessment and Suitability Study of Landfills in Jordan, Al-karak Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Abstract

The rate of waste generation is gradually growing due to population growth and urbanization in Jordan, and the increasing population at risk due to forced migration from neighbouring countries. By 2050, waste production will rise to 3.04 billion tons by 70% since 2016. Specially, that the most sites in Jordan do not comply with the scientific standards. That led this study to aim for creating a suitability map, based on conducting two technical methods and surveying three existing landfill sites located in the target area( Al-Karak, Jordan), in addition to suggesting new landfill sites using GIS. 15 criteria were tested socially, economically, and environmentally. Data and GIS data were collected from different local and international websites. Through a predefined scale of sub-criteria, the first suitability map was extracted by equal weight after combining buffering zones and inverse distance weighted (IDW) by applying Algebra map into Arch map. Also, overlay weight was adopted by taking various weights, according to previous studies and authors’ point of view. Two suitability maps were extracted and classified into four classes relative to DOS (degree of suitability), mapped out every existing and potential landfills. The results of the equal weight suitability map showed that 45% of the area is inadequate and 7% is fairly suitable for landfill, whereas different weight suitability map showed that only 4% is inadequate and 6% is fairly suitable for landfill. Each method showcased different areas, this indicates weight plays a major role, and the low effects of soil weight may be a result of the negative difference ratio (41%) between the two approaches in an inadequate ranking. This study is important because it provide necessary data on the viability of new dumps site based on important factors, leading to future research and new techniques. Improved landfills suitability will positively influence the economies of Jordan and the municipal economies. Finally, the authors recommend a long-term sustainability policy to counter the harmful impact of burying.