Sanitary landfill site suitability selection in Jos, Nigeria

Effective waste management and land reclamation are critical for sustainable urban development. It is important in regions like Jos, Nigeria, where rapid urbanization and past mining activities strain environmental resources. Despite the urgent need for sanitary landfills, limited research has explored the potential of repurposing old mining ponds for such purposes, creating a gap in sustainable site selection strategies. Previous research considered the reclamation of mined lands to reduce negative effects. Rarely have mined lands and sanitary landfill sites been considered for managing municipal solid waste. This study aimed to identify suitable locations for sanitary landfills in Jos Metropolis focusing on mining-degraded landscapes. It utilized Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The research evaluated old mining ponds based on criteria such as soil permeability, slope, proximity to roads, and distance from water bodies. The findings highlight several mining ponds as highly suitable, characterized by clay loam soils, gentle slopes (0.5–1.5%), road proximity (500–1000 m), and adequate separation from water sources (> 200 m). The suitability map showed the Not Suitable sites at 0.1% (located in the northern part), Less Suitable at 32.15% (located majorly in the central and southern, minor in the eastern parts of the city), Suitable at 26.02% (located majorly in the northern and western, minorly in the eastern and southern part), Highly Suitable at 3.32% (majorly found in the extreme northern and extreme eastern part), and Very Highly Suitable at 0.23% (located mostly in the northern and eastern part of the city). These results offer a practical framework for integrating waste management with land restoration, providing a scalable model for other mining-affected regions and contributing to sustainable urban planning and environmental recovery.