Landfill site selection in Makkah using geographic information system and analytical hierarchy process

Municipal solid waste is a problem to developed and developing cities in the world. If municipal solid waste is not managed well, it can be a source of numerous contaminants to water, air, and soil. Although landfill is at the bottom in terms of priorities of municipal solid waste management techniques, its applicability cannot be neglected in developing economies. Landfill site selection is a hard puzzle comprised of political, social, economic, and environmental factors. Makkah, Saudi Arabia, is targeting 30 million pilgrims by 2030, putting the city in a difficult circumstance: More pilgrims, more municipal solid waste. The current dump site, Kakia, is expected to be full by 2020; thus, there is a need to locate a new landfill site. In 20 years, Makkah is expected to produce 44 million tonnes of municipal solid waste, which requires approximately a 7.5 m x 5,874,000 square meter landfill capacity. In this study, a geographic information system, analytical hierarchy process, vertical electrical sounding, and ground-penetrating radar are applied to select the best new landfill site for Makkah. By combining these techniques, there are three suitable site locations: (39 degrees 36 38.45 E: 21 degrees 18 26.46 N), (39 degrees 37 54.07 E: 21 degrees 19 35.25 N), and (39 degrees 44 04.45 E: 21 degrees 13 08.93 N). These sites have a considerable depth to water table of 12 m. Therefore, the city of Makkah should use these findings to establish a sanitary landfill.