Optimizing Sustainable Landfill Site Selection for Municipal Solid Waste Using Spatial Multicriteria Evaluation Technique

The increased urbanization in developing countries has put an extra pressure on the already existing solid waste management (SWM) infrastructure. The present research is concentrated on assessment of landfill site in Kota city of Rajasthan, India, which is included in the Smart Cities Mission of the Government of India, adopting advanced geospatial methodology using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) along with a GIS-based spatial multicriteria evaluation (SMCE) framework. Twenty spatial parameters, namely, hydrological, topographical, land use, and infrastructure-related parameters, were chosen based on current Indian guidelines. The AHP model was validated with a consistency ratio of 0.0153, confirming the reliability of the expert-assigned weights. Results indicated that only 1.13% (6.32 km2) of the study area is highly suitable for landfill development, and 69.98% is moderately suitable. Among four potential sites, Landfill site 1 (LS-1), located in the southwestern zone of Kota, was identified as the most suitable. LS-1 spans 1.022 km2 of sparsely vegetated nonsensitive land and is strategically positioned near national highway (NH)-27, Nanta Road, and within 6.5 km of the existing trenching ground, ensuring efficient waste transport and minimal environmental risk. This study offers a practical and regulation-based method for identifying suitable landfill sites in medium-sized cities with limited ecological capacity. By considering climate-related factors, exclusion zones, and infrastructure access, the approach provides a useful decision-making tool for urban planners. The findings support the selection of LS-1 as the primary landfill site and present a model applicable to other semiarid urban areas facing similar challenges.