Suitable Sites Identification for Solid Waste Disposal Using Geographic Information System and Analytical Hierarchy Process Method in Debark Town, Northwestern Ethiopia

Abstract

Proper site selection for solid waste disposal is a significant issue in the management of solid waste. The present study has been carried out in Debark town, Amhara region, Northwestern Ethiopia, with an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method and geographic information system (GIS) tools to locate the suitable solid waste disposal sites. In the present study, the following eleven thematic layers such as groundwater level, lithology, land use/land cover, precipitation, soil types, elevation, and slope, distance from the (drainages, springs, lineaments, and roads), and their sub-criteria have been used for the selection of suitable solid waste disposal sites. The above-mentioned thematic factors and their sub-criteria standardized weights and consistency ratios have been calculated and checked using the AHP method. The outcome of this study shows (2 km2 area) 2.50%, (3 km2 area) 3%, and (77 km2 area) 94.5% of the area is highly, moderately, and unsuitable, respectively, for the siting the solid waste disposal site in the present study area. The current study results show the effectiveness of GIS tools and the AHP method in solid waste disposal site selection analysis.