Estimating Potential Methane Emission from Municipal Solid Waste and a Site Suitability Analysis of Existing Landfills in Delhi, India

Abstract

Abstract:The management of rapidly growing municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the major challenges in developing countries. The current study also estimates the suitability of a site through a geographical information system using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) for landfill sites in National Capital Territory (NCT). The results of the suitability index indicate that only 58.7 km 2 of the land is suitable for the construction of landfill sites, while 194.27 km 2 of the total area is moderately suitable. The existing three landfill sites that are currently functional and used by government organizations as landfills are found to be moderately suitable. A large fraction of MSW is disposed in landfills, which emit one third of the total anthropogenic methane (CH 4 ) and are considered an important contributor of Green House Gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere. Thus, there is a need for the proper estimation of GHG emission from landfills, specifically CH 4 , which contributes 20% of the GHGs that contribute to global warming. The current study aims to estimate the CH 4 emission from landfills in the NCT, Delhi, India using GHG inventory guidelines from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The CH 4 emission from landfills has doubled from 31.06 Gg/yr to 65.16 Gg/yr from 1999 and 2000 to 2015. The generation of CH 4 from MSW is strongly correlated (R 2 = 0.58) with the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), which is an indicator of wellbeing.

Quantitative analysis of the methane gas emissions from municipal solid waste in India

“…Most of the existing landfills in megacities such as Delhi are oversaturated and are serving beyond their maximum carrying capacity. When a landfill operating above its capacity in Delhi collapsed on 1st September 2017, a 50 m high mound of waste killed several people 40 . According to one estimate, the total urban waste generated in India will increase to 107 thousand tons/year in 2031 and will reach up to 160.9 thousand tons/year in 2041.…”

Environmental Consequences of Poor Landfill Management

“…The unsystematic and unregulated/unscientific choice of landfill sites can pose a danger to the environment, humans, and possibly, adjacent aquatic bodies, including groundwater [3]. One main criteria for selecting landfill include providing a reasonable distance away from significant water bodies.…”

Система Комплексного Управління Сферою Поводження З Твердими Відходами В Контексті Збалансованого Регіонального Розвитку

“…Загалом, проблеми соціально-економічного, збалансованого розвитку регіонів досліджуються науковими установами держави та провідними вітчизняними та зарубіжними вченими, але питання, орієнтовані на отримання бажаного ефекту використання потенціалу сфери поводження з відходами, як частини сукупного потенціалу економіки регіону з урахуванням екологічних факторів та як результату сукупної дії учасників сфери поводження з ТВ, до сих пір не отримали відповідного вивчення [10][11][12][13][14].…”