Waste management system is not regulated in Iraq. At present, there are various techniques used
for solid waste management such as landfill, thermal treatment, biological treatment, recycling etc.
Landfill is the most common mode for the disposal of solid waste. However, landfill site selection
is a quite complex process and it depends on several criteria and regulations. In this study landfill
site selection is performed for Al-Mahaweelqadaa using Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA)
and Geographic Information System (GIS). It should be mentioned however, that the existing landfill
in this area, is temporary and does not fulfill the environmental conditions. To select suitable
landfill site, several criteria were considered such as Urban centers, Land use, Airports, Pipes,
Power lines, Railways, Roads, slope, streams, Surface water, Industrial areas, Oil pipes, Liquid gas
pipes, Soil types which are prepared. (MCDA) was used to evaluate the relative importance of each
criterion. Each map layers were formed with the aid of GIS and final suitability map was created by
overlay analyses of each criterion map. According to obtained results, high and low suitable areas
were determined in the study area. Field and office checks were performed out to determine the
accuracy and suitability of the candidate sites.
Keywords
Multicriteria Decision Analysis, Geographic Information System, Iraq, Al-Mahaweel