GIS–AHP-Based Assessment of the Existing Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Site in Sabratha, Libya

Abstract

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a major environmental challenge in rapidly growing urban areas. This study evaluates the suitability of the existing municipal solid waste landfill site in Sabratha, Libya, using an integrated Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach. Seven criteria were considered: distance from residential areas, groundwater resources, surface water bodies, road accessibility, land use, soil type, and slope. Spatial data were obtained from Sentinel-2 imagery, SRTM DEM, OpenStreetMap, field surveys, and GIS databases. AHP was applied to determine criterion weights, and a weighted overlay analysis was used to generate the landfill suitability map. The results identified distance from residential areas (27.5%) and groundwater resources (21.4%) as the most influential factors. The consistency ratio (CR = 0.017) confirmed the reliability of the weighting process. The existing landfill site was classified as having High Suitability, indicating compliance with most environmental and engineering criteria. Field investigations, however, revealed operational deficiencies, including open dumping practices, limited environmental safeguards, and drainage-related concerns. The study concludes that while the landfill location is spatially suitable, improvements in operational management and environmental protection measures are required to ensure long-term sustainability.