Evaluation of Environmental Sustainability of Landfill Sites using Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix Method
K.Sundara Kumar1, G.Uday Nagendra2, L.Veerendranath3, S.Bhavya Bhanu4, N.L.C.Sowjanya5
1K.Sundara Kumar,  Associate Professor & Head, Department of Civil Engineering, Usha Rama College of Engineering & Technology, (Andhra Pradesh), India.
2G.Uday Nagendra, B. Tech Students, Department of Civil Engineering, Usha Rama College of Engineering & Technology, (Andhra Pradesh), India.
3L.Veerendranath, B. Tech Students, Department of Civil Engineering, Usha Rama College of Engineering & Technology,  (Andhra Pradesh), India.
4S.Bhavya Bhanu, B. Tech Students, Department of Civil Engineering, Usha Rama College of Engineering & Technology, (Andhra Pradesh), India.
5N.L.C.Sowjanya, B. Tech Students, Department of Civil Engineering, Usha Rama College of Engineering & Technology, (Andhra Pradesh), India.
Manuscript received on July 23, 2013. | Revised Manuscript received on August 09, 2013. | Manuscript published on August 30, 2013. | PP: 369-376  | Volume-2, Issue-6, August 2013.  | Retrieval Number: F2106082613/2013©BEIESP

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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Abstract: The selection of a suitable disposal option that is ecologically viable, socially acceptable, and economically feasible is the crux of sustainable solid waste management. This paper explores the applicability of Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix for evaluation of options for disposal of municipal solid waste by taking a typical case study of Vijayawada city. Landfill at Nunna and Landfill at Konduru are the two disposal options available for consideration. Environmental sustainability is assessed through an environmental impact assessment of these two proposed projects. This work uses the RIAM tool, which considers all the physical/chemical, biological/ecological, social/cultural, and economical/operational aspects of the proposed project for evaluation. The results obtained show that both the options will have a negative impact on the environment. However, the landfill proposed at Konduru will have minimum negative impacts, nearly 10 times less when compared with the landfill at Nunna. The rapid impact assessment matrix tool found to be useful in quick, rational and cost effective evaluation of options for disposal of municipal solid waste which will be helpful for decision making.
Keywords: Environmental Impact Assessment, Land filling, Municipal Solid Waste, RIAM, Sustainability.