Spatial distribution of solid waste dumping sites and associated problems in Chiro town, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia

Abstract

The current rapid increase in population together with expansion of the town is producing large volumes of wastes, which demand greater infrastructure, institutional setup and community participation for its management. Besides the importance of information on municipal solid waste management for decision making, there is no reliable study that identifies the gap on the existing situation of Chiro town. Hence, this study was intended to describe the current spatial distribution of solid waste dumping sites and associated problems in town. Both primary and secondary data were collected for the analysis. The data on the problems associated with solid wastes were analyzed by descriptive statistics, while that of spatial location of dumping sites were analyzed and mapped by Arc GIS 10.4.1 software. The results of the study revealed that solid waste dumping sites were unevenly distributed throughout the town; where majority of the dumping sites are concentrated at center and around the micro riverbank in the town. Due to this illegal dumping sites and poor waste management, the respondents perceived that there is a prevalence of malaria, diarrhea, body allergic, cough and other diseases (pneumonia, michi and sinus) in the town. Furthermore, there are problems of litter distribution nearby house (illegal dumping), bad odor, reproduction of vectors and blocking the drainage system arising from uncontrolled waste disposals. Therefore, its top priority to prepare the dumping sites and effective institutional set up with enough budgets to handle the current waste problems of the town.