TITLE:
GIS Based Mapping and Analysis of Municipal Solid Waste Collection System in Wa, Ghana
AUTHORS:
Hamidu Abdulai, Rafaat Hussein, Eddie Bevilacqua, Mark Storrings
KEYWORDS:
GIS, GPS, Municipal Solid Waste, Communal Container, Water Resources
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geographic Information System,
Vol.7 No.2,
March
25,
2015
ABSTRACT: Collection of Municipal Solid Waste
(MSW) is important in every waste management program. Communal container
collection systems appear most prevalent in many developing countries. However,
this collection system is associated with problems such as overflow of waste
containers, ground dumping at collection sites, and open/indiscriminate dumping
at unauthorized places. The spatial distribution of these activities present
potential contamination challenges to water resources. Spatial information on
Municipal Solid Waste Collection/Dump Sites (MSWCS) is essential for Municipal
Solid Waste Management (MSWM) decision-making, including siting and collection
route planning, and dumps cleanup. Integration of Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) present a platform to
capture, map, and analyze spatial MSWM issues. This study applied GIS and GPS
technologies to map MSWCS in Wa town, Ghana. Wa Municipality waste collection
system efficiency was analyzed based on spatial availability of communal
containers. A GIS model was developed and used to analyze proximity of MSWCS to
boreholes drinking water sources. A pollution risk map was also developed to
analyze the potential impact of indiscriminate dumps on hand-dug wells and
surface water in Wa. The results reveal poor management in a significant number
(about 67%) of MSWCS sites. Fifteen percent of mechanized boreholes failed the
minimum proximity requirement (≥100 m) of the model. This study findings
illustrate that MSWM in developing countries may be improved using GIS and GPS
technologies. The approach used for Wa could be replicated in other towns in
Ghana and other developing nations with similar MSWM problems to enhance policy
and management decision-making.