Optimizing Landfill Site Selection and Solid Waste Management in Urbanizing Regions: A Geospatial Analysis of Rewari City, Haryana, India

Improper disposal of solid waste obstructs drainage systems and pollutes surface water. Additionally, the dumping of unsorted garbage generates emissions and leachate, which harm local ecosystems and contribute to climate change. With Rewari City’s growing population, effective municipal solid waste management, including landfill site selection, is crucial. This study employs Geographic Information System (GIS), Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP), and Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) methodologies to determine appropriate sites for landfills. The FAO, ALOS PALSAR DEM, Sentinel 2B images, Google Earth Pro, and interviews were employed to gather data. The results of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) indicate that 35.4% of the parameters under consideration are associated with Land Use Land Cover (LULC), whereas roads rank as the second most significant criterion, accounting for 24.0%. The WLC technique determined that 4.65 square kilometers were inappropriate for dump sites, while 0.11 square kilometers were extremely favorable. These findings can assist decision-makers in determining the order of importance for variables when selecting a landfill location.