Geographical Distribution of Landfills in the Outskirts of Baghdad Governorate using the GIS

Abstract

The problem of solid waste from domestic, industrial, commercial and medical sources is one of the most important problems facing the local administration in all Iraqi cities. The danger of this problem increases with the rapid increase in the population, changing lifestyles, consumption patterns, limited land suitable for landfill, and high costs of collection and disposal. This research aims to solve these problems by determining the locations of current landfills located in the outskirts of Baghdad Governorate. The ArcGIS program was used, where the sites of the landfills were determined on the map and through the available data about the areas. it was concluded that the existing landfill sites do not meet environmental conditions and standards. According to the statistics of 2016/2020, which the amount of waste in some areas has increased, and decreased in others. The results show that each of 16 municipalities at the outskirts of Baghdad Governorate has only one landfill. The Al-Zuhur district is one of the most waste-producing areas, according to the statistics of the years 2016/2020, due to the high population ratio in that area. Mahmudiyah was recorded among high rate waste production areas, as the amount of waste in 2016 was 49,000 tons, but decreased slightly in 2020 to 48,000 tons. The research recommends following the health and environmental foundations in proper planning for the establishment of waste dumps, as well as the necessity of activating the role of geographic information systems in the field of proper waste management and environmental planning.