Space-driven environmental impact assessment of openly dumped municipal solid waste using cost-effective geospatial...

Municipal solid waste (MSW) continues to generate polluted gases, toxic leachate, and thermal emissions even after landfill closure. This study evaluates long-term bio-hazard, thermal, and moisture impacts of MSW using 9 years of satellite observations for the functional phase (FP) and post-functional phase (PFP) of a dumping site in Multan, Pakistan. The average annual radius of bio, thermal, and moisture influence zones during FP was 1097 m, 1454 m, and 1248 m, respectively, increasing to 1249 m, 1504 m, and 1470 m in PFP. Seasonal analysis showed rising trends during FP and declining trends in PFP. The novelty of this study lies in combining the multi-index remote sensing, zonal proximity, and trend-detection techniques to distinguish environmental reactions between FP and PFP. The findings provide evidence-based spatial hazard thresholds and demonstrate the long-term value of remote sensing in characterizing persistent landfill impacts. Mann-Kendall and innovative trend analysis were applied to detect temporal trend variations. Overall, this work offers a cost-effective, scalable, and reliable approach for monitoring environmental risks from MSW and supports improved landfill management strategies. This study significantly offers a cost-effective, scalable, and reliable approach for monitoring environmental risks from MSW and supports improved landfill management strategies.