The selection of transfer locations for Maseru Municipality
Date
2009-09-10T08:59:10Z
Authors
Bulane, Itumeleng
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Abstract
The management of municipal solid waste presents serious challenges for municipalities in
most countries. Inadequate service coverage and operational inefficiency have led to
uncollected solid waste on the roads and in other public areas which poses threats to
human health and the environment. Maseru city in Lesotho faces the same challenges.
Poor management has resulted in illegal dumping of waste, and littering can be seen on the
public places.
Maseru City Council is constructing a sanitary landfill that will respond to the challenges
presented by the poor management of the solid waste. The proposed sanitary landfill is
about 45 kilometers away from Maseru. For this landfill to be effective, transfer stations
have to be established within the metropolitan area for collecting, separating and sorting of
solid waste. This study aimed at identifying suitable sites on which solid waste transfer
stations could be located
Selecting the location of transfer facility sites is a complex process which involves
technical, physical, economical, social, environmental and political requirements that may
result in conflicting objectives. Such complexities necessitate the simultaneous use of
several decision support tools such as Geographical Information System (GIS) and Multi
Criteria Decision Method (MCDM). In this study the model was developed using GIS and
MCDM to identify the possible location for construction of transfer station sites. The criteria used included; Topography, Land use, Distance from rivers and Distance from
roads. Fifteen sites with varying land suitability were identified as potential locations for
required transfer stations. These sites were ranked in descending order to indicate the
priority of different options available to decision makers. However, only two sites suited
almost all the criteria for selection and they can be used for the construction of the transfer
facilities The results achieved by this study may help urban planners and decision makers
by availing a variety of options to be considered for transfer facility locations for proper
waste management in the city.