Solid waste dumping site suitability analysis using geographic information system: A case of tebela town administration, South Ethiopia

Abstract

Inappropriate dumping of solid waste at unscientific disposal sites poses a significant problem for urban areas in many developing countries. Tebela Town Administration (TTA), located in the Wolaita zone of South Ethiopia, spans 4206.9 ha and had a population of 43,608 in 2018. Currently, TTA lacks a sanitary landfill that meets scientific and environmental standards. As a result, communities have resorted to haphazardly dumping waste around homes, into rivers, ditches, and near roads, leading to serious health and environmental hazards. To address this issue, the study aims to identify suitable solid waste disposal sites using GIS technology, ensuring environmental sustainability and public health protection. Key factors considered in the site selection process include slope, faults, soil classes, and proximity to settlements, roads, rivers, and water surfaces. Weightings were assigned to each criterion based on their relative importance using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a multi-criteria evaluation method. These weights were then integrated into GIS for overlay analysis. Results revealed that 2.81 % (118.21 ha) of the area is highly suitable, 18 % (757.20 ha) is suitable, 41.23 % (1734.5 ha) is moderately suitable, while 36.77 % (1546.88 ha) is unsuitable for landfill sites. Four potential sites were identified that meet scientific and environmental criteria, primarily located in the western, northern, northeastern, and southwestern edges of the town.