GIS Visualization of Solid Waste Disposal Sites and Environmental Impacts in Kurdistan Region-Iraq

The increase in the quantity of municipal solid waste (MSW) has made environmental problems in the Kurdistan Region (KR)-Iraq.Current study illustrated components and generation rates (GR) of MSW in seven different cities of KR.Geographic information system (GIS) was applied to locate MSW disposal sites, components, and generation rate in the cities.The study reported the maximum GR for MSW in Sulaymaniyah City which was 1.20 Kg/Capita/day and the minimum GR for domestic solid waste in Erbil City was 0.65 Kg/Capita/day.In-addition, the amount of organic waste component (OWC) in Erbil, Halabja, Sulaymaniyah, Semel, Duhok, Qaladize, and Ranya Cities were 79.34 %, 58 %, 65 %, 65 %, 79 %, 75.1 %, and 67.05 %, respectively.The average GR and OWC were calculated to be 0.972 Kg/Capita/day and 71.91%, respectively.Consequently, all MSW disposal sites had great impact to the surrounding areas resulting in air, water, and soil contamination.