Original Research
Environmental Health / Geospatial Analysis

Feasibility of Landfill Establishment in Khomeynishahr City of Isfahan Using GIS, MCE and Boolean Logic

Last reviewed: March 2026

Introduction

The selection of appropriate sites for municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills represents one of the most challenging decisions in environmental management. Improper landfill siting can lead to groundwater contamination, air pollution, soil degradation, harm to ecosystems, and adverse health effects on nearby communities. Conversely, well-sited landfills with proper engineering controls serve as essential components of integrated solid waste management systems.

Khomeynishahr (historically known as Sedeh or Homayounshahr) is a city in Isfahan Province, Iran, with a growing population generating increasing volumes of municipal solid waste. Like many rapidly urbanising cities in the developing world, Khomeynishahr faces the dual challenge of managing escalating waste volumes while protecting environmental quality and public health. The identification of suitable locations for new landfill facilities was therefore a pressing planning need.

This study applied Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology, multi-criteria evaluation (MCE), and Boolean logic to assess the feasibility of landfill establishment across the Khomeynishahr area. These geospatial analysis tools allow the systematic integration of multiple spatial datasets—representing environmental, geological, hydrological, and socioeconomic constraints—to produce suitability maps that can guide decision-making.

Methodology

The methodology involved compiling and processing multiple spatial data layers in a GIS environment, each representing a criterion relevant to landfill siting. Key criteria included: distance from surface water bodies (rivers, streams, and irrigation channels), distance from groundwater resources, geological and soil characteristics (permeability, stability), topographic slope, distance from residential areas and urban centres, proximity to transportation networks, land use classification, and distance from protected or environmentally sensitive areas.

Each criterion was processed to generate a spatial layer indicating the degree of suitability across the study area. For the Boolean logic approach, each criterion was converted to a binary (0/1) classification using defined thresholds derived from regulatory standards and published guidelines—for example, areas within a specified buffer distance from water bodies were classified as unsuitable (0), while areas beyond this distance were classified as potentially suitable (1). The final Boolean suitability map was generated by multiplying all binary layers, yielding a map where only areas meeting all criteria simultaneously were classified as suitable.

For the MCE approach, criteria were assigned relative weights reflecting their importance to the siting decision. Weight determination was informed by expert judgment and established methodological frameworks. The weighted criteria layers were combined using weighted linear combination (WLC) to produce a continuous suitability index map, where higher values indicated greater suitability. The resulting map was classified into categories ranging from highly suitable to completely unsuitable.

Results

The Boolean logic analysis identified discrete areas meeting all mandatory criteria for landfill siting. As is typical with Boolean approaches, the resulting suitable areas were relatively limited in extent, as failure to meet any single criterion resulted in automatic exclusion. This conservative approach is useful for identifying areas that satisfy all minimum requirements but does not differentiate between areas that are merely acceptable and those that are optimal.

The MCE analysis provided a more nuanced picture, generating a graduated suitability surface across the study area. The suitability map revealed that substantial portions of the study area were unsuitable or poorly suited for landfill development due to proximity to water resources, unfavourable geological conditions, or urban encroachment. However, specific locations in less-developed areas with favourable geological and hydrological conditions emerged as relatively suitable candidate sites.

Comparison of the two approaches demonstrated their complementary strengths. The Boolean method provided clear, unambiguous site exclusion based on regulatory constraints, while the MCE method offered flexibility in balancing multiple competing criteria and identifying optimal locations among those that meet minimum standards. The integration of both approaches provided decision-makers with a robust basis for preliminary site identification, to be followed by detailed field investigation of candidate sites.

Public Health and Environmental Health Significance

The public health relevance of proper landfill siting extends well beyond waste management per se. Improperly located landfills can contaminate drinking water sources through leachate migration, release harmful gases including methane and volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere, attract disease vectors such as rodents and flies, and create nuisance conditions that affect the wellbeing of nearby communities. In developing countries, where waste composition often includes a high proportion of organic material and informal waste picking is common, the health risks associated with poorly managed landfills are particularly acute.

The GIS-based approach demonstrated in this study provides a scientifically defensible, transparent, and reproducible method for evaluating landfill siting options, helping to ensure that public health and environmental protection considerations are systematically incorporated into waste management planning decisions.

Public Health Implications and Significance

This study demonstrates the value of integrating geospatial technologies with multi-criteria decision analysis for environmental health planning in rapidly urbanising settings. The methodology is transferable to other cities facing similar waste management challenges, including those in Southeast Asia where MJPHM’s readership is concentrated. The systematic approach to site evaluation helps ensure that landfill siting decisions consider the full range of environmental and public health factors rather than being driven solely by land availability or cost considerations.

For Malaysia specifically, similar GIS-based approaches have been applied to landfill siting decisions, and the methodological framework described here contributes to the broader evidence base for environmental health planning tools. As Malaysian states continue to develop new sanitary landfills to replace older dump sites, the systematic evaluation framework demonstrated in this study offers a model for evidence-based decision-making.

Limitations

The study’s conclusions are dependent on the quality and resolution of the input spatial data, which may vary across different data sources and time periods. The weighting of criteria in the MCE approach involves subjective judgments, and different weight assignments could produce different results. The analysis provides a preliminary screening of candidate sites; detailed geotechnical, hydrogeological, and environmental impact assessments would be required before any site could be developed for landfill use. The findings are specific to the Khomeynishahr study area and may not be directly transferable to other locations with different environmental and geological conditions.

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