Industrial Site Suitability Analysis Using GIS & AHP: In Case of Debre Berhan Town.

Abstract

Development is essentially a process of structural change from traditional agriculture to modern agriculture, industry and services. Since Debre Berhan is an industrial city; and industrial city and urban development needs to be managed, it is necessary to locate industry in the right place. Therefore, this study determined the optimal location of industrial areas for the city using GIS and AHP analysis.

In order to conduct this study, a multi-criteria evaluation system was used to identify factors influencing site selection. Six determining factors or parameters were identified in this study to identify a suitable site for the industrial establishment. These factors were slope, soil type, Geology, land use-land cover, proximity to the main road, distance from residential areas, and distance from water bodies (rivers). The findings revealed that land use, land cover, and distance from the river determine the highest factors for the selection of industrial sites, and elevation and slope determine the minimum compared with other factors.

Majority of the study area (637,200m2) or (1.18%) is highly suitable to establish industries, (46,207,800m2) or (85.73%) is moderately suitable to establish industries and a small portion (13.08%) or (7,051,500m2) are less suitable. Conducting environmental impact assessment prior to establishing industries in the study area was not fully covered by the concerned government organization. Application of AHP technologies in the study area is not fully employed. In order to select suitable sites for the industry, the town administrators should focus on those important parameters by using AHP and GIS.