Integrating fuzzy-AHP and GIS for solid waste disposal site selection in Kenitra province, NW Morocco.

Journal: Environmental monitoring and assessment
PMID:

Abstract

Selecting an optimal solid waste disposal site is one of the decisive waste management issues because unsuitable sites cause serious environmental and public health problems. In Kenitra province, northwest Morocco, sustainable disposal sites have become a major challenge due to rapid urbanization and population growth. In addition, the existing disposal sites are traditional and inappropriate. The objective of this study is to suggest potential suitable disposal sites using fuzzy logic and analytical hierarchy process (fuzzy-AHP) method integrated with geographic information system (GIS) techniques. For this purpose, thirteen factors affecting the selection process were involved. The results showed that 5% of the studied area is considered extremely suitable and scattered in the central-eastern parts, while 9% is considered almost unsuitable and distributed in the northern and southern parts. Thereafter, these results were validated using the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristics (ROC). The AUC found was 57.1%, which is a moderate prediction's accuracy because the existing sites used in the validation's process were randomly selected. These results can assist relevant authorities and stakeholders for setting new solid waste disposal sites in Kenitra province.

Authors

  • Mohamed Aghad
    Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Scineces and Humanities, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra, Morocco.
  • Mohamed Manaouch
    Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Scineces and Humanities, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra, Morocco. mohamed.manaouch@uit.ac.ma.
  • Mohamed Sadiki
    Geosciences Laboratory, Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra, Morocco.
  • Quoc Bao Pham
    Environmental Quality, Atmospheric Science and Climate Change Research Group, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam; Faculty of Environment and Labour Safety, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
  • Jamal Al Karkouri
    Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Scineces and Humanities, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra, Morocco.