Qualitative indicator analysis of a sustainable remediation

Abstract

With the rapid population growth world faces major environmental challenges associated with drinking water limitations, depletion of natural resources, waste management and hazardous pollution removal. In several national and European Union policy strategic planning documents remediation of polluted sites and hazardous waste management are set as important tasks to reduce environmental burden and to improve public health through cleaner water, air and soil. As remediation projects are usually complex and multidisciplinary due to close interactions between social, economical and environmental dimensions, understanding of the performance of the system and its different variables is required to realize a successful and sustainable remediation project.The aim of the study is to analyze existing situation in Latvia, acquire knowledge about remediation framework in other countries and based on findings build a methodological decision making tool for a sustainable remediation project implementation from cradle to grave (from planning to remediation aftercare stage) that demonstrates a benefit for social, economical and environmental dimensions and cause less impacts.The objectives that are determined in this paper are identification of indicators according to remediation project practice in Latvia, categorization of indicators into qualitative and quantitative indicators and analysis of qualitative indicators by using Multiple criteria decision making analysis - Technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS).