Selecting suitable landfill site with multi-criteria evaluation and GIS: a case of Savar upazila in Bangladesh

Sustainable management of solid waste has become a major concern for municipal authorities in rapidly growing cities of many developing countries. Waste management through landfilling is even more challenging, as optimized siting is essential to minimize adverse consequences like damage to the environment and public health. In this study, geospatial techniques were applied to landfill site selection. Savar upazila, a rapidly urbanizing subdistrict of Dhaka, Bangladesh, was taken as a case study. Nine geospatial parameters were used for identification of preferable landfill areas and three for area restrictions. The parameters were integrated in a geographic information system (GIS) environment, using an analytical hierarchy process and weighted linear combination, to generate a comprehensive suitability map. The map revealed 14% (39 km 2 ) of the entire area as highly suitable for landfill, 16% (45 km 2 ) as moderately suitable, 11% (30 km 2 ) as less suitable and 59% (166 km 2 ) as unsuitable. Twenty-one highly suitable locations were identified, with twelve locations finally recommended as ideal. The present geospatial approach is an advancement over the conventional techniques of landfill site selection, which often result in superficial decisions and mislead urban planners.