Selection of Potential Site for Solid Waste Disposal Using Geospatial Techniques and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)

Due to exponential increase in the population of third-world economy group countries like India, there is a significant increase in solid waste generation. In large population cities, around 400–500 grams of per capita per person waste is being generated daily. The scarcity of land in urban periphery is a crucial problem for waste disposal. Geospatial data and geographical information system coupled with GPS techniques are vital tools for creation of multi-criterion layers—geomorphology, land use/land cover, soil texture, lithology, surface water, groundwater prospects/table, slope/contour, habitation, and road/transport network—for selections of potential landfill sites for solid waste disposal. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) aids in systematically evaluating landfill sites. By identifying criteria, conducting pairwise comparisons, and ensuring consistency, it establishes the relative importance of factors like proximity to population centres, environmental impact, and regulatory compliance. Through a suitability index analysis, sites are assessed, where S-4 (Kharagpur) emerges as the most suitable due to comprehensive criteria fulfilment. S-1 (Mardanpur), S-2 (Pratappur Sarsai), and S-5 (Chakeri) are moderately suitable, while S-3 (Patehuri) is least suitable due to a higher slope. This research paper is an endeavour to present an outcome for selection of suitable site indexing for Kanpur Municipal Corporation of Uttar Pradesh.