Illegal Dumping in the Town of Almubailah South Al-Seeb Wilayat – Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

This study addresse س†the issue of illegal dumping which is defined as throwing large amounts of material without a permit in areas not authorized by government authorities. These areas are usually on the sides of roads, public land and private sites and the sites that are not frequently visited by the public. The town of Almubailah South, in the Governorate of Muscat, was used as a case study because of its highly urbanized and increasing population growth. The study aims mainly to monitor the waste disposal sites in locations unauthorized in Almubailah South and draw the attention of the concerned government authorities in the Sultanate of Oman as well as raise community awareness about seriousness of the problem. The methodology is based on fieldwork, statistical analysis and remote sensing and GIS techniques employed to track and monitor the problem. The study results show that there are 27 locations in the study area containing a total volume of waste estimated at 7774.9 cubic meters of waste. The waste materials were found in heaps ranging from small-size materials accounting for 73% of the total volume of waste materials, and large-size materials accounting for 42%, and medium-size materials accounting for 15%. Remnants of building materials occupied the bulk of these waste materials in comparison with other types of waste and these were found in about 57% of the total sites The study recommends a joint cooperation between the public and private sectors so as to achieve an effective strategy to eradicate those landfills. The study also advocats supporting the activities of volunteers in awareness, cleaning campaigns and rehabilitation of affected sites through allocating part of the tax revenues, municipal violations revenues and revenues of automobile companies specializing in the sale of garbage trucks.