الملخص الإنجليزي
This thesis considers the solid waste management system in Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Oman. This area is rapidly developing as a popular tourist destination and therefore, there is a need to develop a framework for sustainable solid waste management in this area. The problems of solid waste management in Al Jabal Al Akhdar were described and statement of research and objectives were defined accordingly. Geographic, demographic and socio economic characteristics of Al Jabal Al Akhdar were reviewed and presented. This study focused on three major areas including solid waste composition, soil chemical analysis and the survey questionnaire to derive a strategy for the sustainable solid waste management system in Al Jabal Al Akhdar. Extensive field visits, observations and interviews were also made. Process mapping was carried out to determine the current practices.
The solid wastes employed in this study are collected by three major stakeholders. They are the Municipality, collecting waste from residential, commercial, institutional and recreational areas, the Military, from a training camp and a few non-governmental Private Companies from their camps and hotels. The results indicated that plastic is the most dominant category in the wastes collected by the Municipality which accounts for 26.7% followed by paper 17.9% and then food 14.4%. Food is the most dominant category in the wastes collected by the Military and Private Companies which accounts for 36.5% and 45.5% respectively.
The chemical analysis showed that the soil at the dumpsite area is alkaline, and inside the dumpsite the pH was found to be slightly lower than the control sites. Soil analysis also proved the presence of heavy metals in the soil at higher levels in the order of Zn> Mn >Cu> Cr> Pb> As> Cd. No lining or any type of protection is provided at the bottom of the existing dumpsite and the leachate released from waste and the soil of the dumpsite poses a risk for water aquifer pollution. The survey conducted separately for local residents and visitors through questionnaires revealed that both groups of people were dissatisfied with the current waste management system at this place, while the local residents were more dissatisfied with the waste disposal services provided by the Municipality.
The present study demonstrates that the existing waste management system is unsuitable, inadequate and inappropriate for such an important site of tourism in Oman. The study proposed the development of an excellent, reliable and sustainable solid waste management system for Al Jabal Al Akhdar. This includes the mapping of bins locations using GPS, replacement of bins with suitable and durable ones, use of trackable mechanical compaction trucks, and introduction of composting and recycling. Further, it is important to close out and rehabilitate the existing dumpsite and introduce a transfer station to shift the · waste to Izz landfill. It is anticipated that this research will be made use of by all authorities responsible for solid waste management in Al Jabal Al Akhdar.
