MULTI-CRITERIA ASSESSMENT (MCA) AND SELECTION OF A SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL SITE WITHIN WA MUNICIPALITY, UPPER WEST REGION, GHANA

Abstract

Municipal solid waste management is a problem in most developing countries of the world. This is because of its nature, quantity generated, cost of transportation and the selection of final storage sites, which together presents a huge challenge for most municipalities. Improper solid waste disposal has serious environmental consequences which ultimately affects human health. The most common problems associated with improper selection and management of final waste disposal sites for solid waste include disease transmission, fire hazards, odour nuisance, air and water pollution, aesthetic nuisance. Economic cost arising from transportation due to long distances of travel to deposit solid waste also discourage the use of waste disposal sites. Municipal solid waste management is considered one of the most serious environmental and social problems faced by municipal authorities in developing countries.. This work considered the selection of a suitable site for the disposal of municipal solid waste generated within the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region of Ghana, using Multi-Criteria Evaluation technique in G.I.S. To determine the most suitable waste disposal sites in the municipality, the study integrated environmental and socio-economic criteria including proximity to road networks, distance to residential and important built-up areas, water bodies to select the most optimal location for waste disposal. The results showed a total of three (3) proposed suitable sites, out of which a site with reasonably optimal distance as well as easily accessible to roads was preferred as the most suitable site for the municipal solid waste disposal (landfill) in the Wa Municipality.