Environmental Management Hazards

Environmental Management Hazards

Evaluation of Residential Waste Disposal Sites: From Planning to Practice (Case Study: Saqqez County)

Document Type : Applied Article

Authors
1 Department of Physical Geography, University of Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Political Geography, University of Tehran, Iran
10.22059/jhsci.2026.415280.939
Abstract
Objective: Given the high vulnerability of aquifers and the pronounced geological heterogeneity of karst environments, optimal waste management in such regions represents one of the most challenging areas of environmental planning. This study aimed to identify suitable landfill sites in the karst terrain of Saqqez County using an integrated Geographic Information System (GIS) and PIPRECIA multi-criteria decision-making approach.
Materials and Methods: A total of thirteen influential criteria, encompassing geomorphological, hydrogeological, geological, and anthropogenic factors, were identified and standardized using fuzzy membership functions to ensure comparability. Criterion weighting was performed using the PIPRECIA method, which minimizes cognitive bias and reduces the complexity of pairwise comparisons while yielding stable and reliable weights. The resulting weighted layers were integrated within a GIS environment using a Weighted Overlay approach. Model validation was conducted using 30 independent ground control points collected via GPS.
Results: The weighting analysis indicated that karst development (0.1693), lithology (0.1210), and distance from faults (0.0923) exert the greatest influence on landfill suitability, highlighting the dominant role of subsurface structural controls in environmental vulnerability. The final suitability map revealed that highly suitable and suitable zones collectively cover 761 hectares (17.2%), while moderately suitable areas account for 475 hectares (10.7%). In contrast, unsuitable and highly unsuitable zones dominate the study area, covering 3,190 hectares (72.1%).
Conclusion: The proposed approach provides a robust decision-support tool for reducing uncertainty in karst terrains of Iran.The findings demonstrate that landfill siting in Saqqez without adequate consideration of seismotectonic conditions, karstification processes, and hydrogeological characteristics may result in rapid and irreversible contamination of aquifers.
Keywords

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