Abstract
Landfill sites receive 92 % of the total annual solid waste produced by municipalities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Landfill siting is an extremely difficult task because site selection depends on different factors and regulations. To ensure that an appropriate site is chosen, a systematic process should be developed and followed. In this study candidate sites for an appropriate landfill location for the Abu Dhabi municipal area are determined by integrating geographic information systems (GIS) and multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) analysis. To identify appropriate landfill sites, 19 input map layers, including proximity to urban areas, proximity to wells and water table depth, geology and topography, proximity to touristic and archaeological sites, distance from the road network, distance from drainage networks, land slope, and so on, were used in constraint mapping. A final map was created identifying potential sites suitable for the location of a landfill. The results revealed that 30 % of the study area was highly suitable, 25 % suitable, and 45% unsuitable. The selection of the final landfill site, however, requires careful field research. Indeed, further geotechnical and hydrogeological analyses with regard to the protection of groundwater as well as surface water are required. In addition, a combination of design, construction, operations management, monitoring, remediation, and post-closure management measures need to be considered to deal with the range of potential environmental impacts for a given site.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 127-149 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Journal | Arab World Geographer |
Volume | 17 |
Issue number | 2 |
Publication status | Published - Jun 1 2014 |
Keywords
- Abu Dhabi
- Geographic information systems (GIS)
- Landfill siting
- Multi-criteria
- Site selection
- Solid waste
- United Arab Emirates
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Earth-Surface Processes