Social and Environmental Impacts and Land Suitability of Gohagoda Thekkawaththa Garbage Dumping Site in Harispattuwa Divisional Secretariat Division, Kandy

Abstract

As a result of human activities, considerable amount of solid waste is generated and disposal of solid waste has become one of the major environmental issues in Sri Lanka. This study aimed to analyze the social and environmental effects of Gohagoda Thekkawaththa garbage dump located in Harispattuwa Divisional Secretariat Division (DSD), Kandy District and its land suitability. A questionnaire survey with 50 respondents, field observations and Chi-square test using IBM SPSS 21 software were carried out to find out social and environmental effects of dumping site and model was created based on several criteria with the help of GIS 10.4 software to find the land suitability of garbage dump. Spatial distribution of population density, buildings, roads, water bodies, slope angel, forested areas and land use pattern were selected as suitability criteria. According to the results, 66 percent of respondents mostly suffer from effluvium. There is 32 percent of huge effect for atmosphere and soil in this area and many people suffer from respiratory diseases. All the respondents said that the dumping site affects the physical environment including atmosphere, soil quality, surface and underground water and flora and fauna. Accordingly, the Chi-square tests indicated that there is a significant effect of the site on the community and physical environment in this area. Land suitability assessment carried out for the Kandy District revealed that this dumping site is located under the category of the least suitable land area and study suggests to shift the dumping site in to a location under the category of the most suitable areas which covers 22.37 percent out of entire land area in the Kandy District. This study recommends creating a sanitary landfill, recycling waste, generating power through waste and making fertilizers as the most suitable strategy which does not bring harmful effects to the environment and to the community rather than waste dumping.