The Role of Geomorphology in Landfill Location in Darab City Using GIS

Urban solid waste is an integral part of human life and production of such waste along with its different qualities and quantities is one of the most important environmental issues of the present era. Nowadays، selection of the proper site and optimal location for waste disposal is essential، accounting for one of the major aspects of waste management. Among all، the science of geomorphology، which deals with the effects of changing land surface، could play an important role in locating landfill. In this study، we attempted at finding an optimal location for the municipal landfill of Darab City with an emphasis on the geomorphologic criteria and other influencing (environmental، socio-economic) factors. The current waste disposal site in the city of Darab is located on sand-gravel alluviums of a few meters thick، which lie on Asemary karst formations. Karst water of this formation serves as the main source of drinking water for the city. Nevertheless، the solid waste leachate may cause deterioration of the water quality. The main topic of this paper is to determine a new disposal place for the city using GIS and AHP with the help of geomorphologic and environmental parameters. 13 map layers were prepared as inputs to GIS system، including topography، distance from the residential area، and faults in a combined way and a new area for landfill was suggested. However، the final site selection requires further geotechnical and hydrological analyses. In the end، we can conclude that geomorphologic and geographical parameters account for of the main factors of landfill location and disregarding geographical studies will lead to many problems in the face of human beings.