Application AHP-PROMETHEE Technic for Landfill Site Selection on Based Assessment of Aquifers Vulnerability to Pollution

Abstract

AbstractChoosing a suitable location for the disposal of municipal solid waste is an important environmental problem. Thus, locating a municipal solid waste landfill has been very important. Leachate from the solid waste landfill causes the contamination of groundwater. However, the process is complicated and is based on qualitative and quantitative criteria. Therefore, in this paper, a hybrid approach for determining the optimal location of a municipal solid waste landfill has been presented. Additionally, the present study attempts to evaluate the potential of aquifer contamination vulnerability on the proposed landfill sites using a DRASTIC model of Plain Zanjan and provide a zoning map of vulnerable areas. In this study, the DRASTIC model for aquifer vulnerability mapping is used. This model consists of seven hydrogeological parameters effective in contaminating the aquifer. The parameters appear in the GIS software as seven layers on which the analysis is performed. Considering the map of aquifer vulnerability and with regard to the potential aquifer contamination at various areas, it is possible to determine a suitable site for the landfill. At present, about 49.03% of the aquifers are in average vulnerability situation; by considering them, a suitable site for the landfill can be determined. Accordingly, the considered criteria were determined by AHP method; the weights of the layers were determined, and then the appropriate places were classified into three classes, high, moderate or low, using GIS software. Finally, zones located in the high classes were selected as the best locations for waste disposal by the PRPMOTHEE method, by taking into account the scientific limitations and conditions of the area. The results showed that proposed methods in this paper can be suitable to determine appropriate option for waste disposal. In the future, there can be a lot of studies for modeling to choose a suitable landfill due to some soil characteristics and applying other models of pollution to groundwater in the region.