LANDFILL SITE SELECTION IN ADO-ODO OTA LGA USING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS

This study makes an attempt at determining suitable landfill sites in Ado-Odo, Local Government Area, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. A multi-criteria evaluation method is applied based on Geographical Information System to identify potentially favourable landfill sites in the study area. The landfill siting process requires the evaluation of several criteria such as land use, vegetation classification, road networks, water bodies and so on based on complex operations on databases containing spatial data of these criteria. The model chosen for site selection involved four (4) stages viz: preliminary analysis, creation of constraint maps, creation of final constraint overlay maps, and creation of final suitability maps depicting suitable areas. The first stage involves the creation of various maps for the study area to input the data layers. The second stage involves the creation of constraint maps using available spatial data which implies the creation of buffered distances according to stipulated criteria. The final constraint map overlay is created by merging all the data layers from the constraint maps. In addition, the final suitability map is created via the use of spatial analysis tools. This final map can be used by the state, local government and its policymakers on their choices of suitable and unsuitable sites that pose no threat to the health of its citizens, as well as minimal damages to the environment.