Open Landfill Site and Threat to the Proximity Resident’s: Addressing Perceived Consequences of Unscientific Solid Waste Dumping Using GIS Techniques

Abstract

Municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal is a rapidly expanding sector that caters to the rising demand for disposal facilities; as a result, MSW treatment is becoming a signi cant challenge in concern to environmental and public health. The by-products of solid waste dumped in land lls have negative consequences on the environment and people living near disposal sites. This research aimed to assess whether the disposal of garbage in land lls affected the people who live near them. Consequently, residents living near MSW disposal facilities are exposed to various risks. A systematic questionnaire was devised and disseminated in this research to examine the adjacent people's concerns and attitudes around the land ll of the rapidly expanding Siliguri city of West Bengal. It was accomplished by assessing the opinions of persons living within the 1000m of the land ll site and how it impacts their life. The novelty of the research includes geographical analysis of physical impressions, including odour nuisance, breathing problems, impacts of ies and mosquitoes, water contamination, issues due to illegal burning, and health-related problems, which was conducted using geographic information system methodologies. Besides, the Land ll satisfaction index (LSI) tool was used to assess the perception of the people residing near the land ll. Also, to statistically validate the perception of the people related to the impact of land lls on their life, gamma coe cient (y) test of Goodman-Kruskal was applied. The ndings reveal that the majority of the respondent within 600m are more susceptible to various risks due to unscienti c land ll. Subsequently, a large portion of the responding sample was aware of the detrimental effects of land lls on the health and environment, therefore, individuals living near the dump yard preferred to live farther away. The ndings also reveal that geographical proximity has a clear relationship between respondent perception and distance to the land ll. The study concludes with a discussion on how the research results may be bene cial for designing land ll sites and can be utilized by urban planners, environmentalists, and engineers.