Archives of Environmental Protection

Abstract

At national and global level, industrial revolution, urbanization and increasing trend of population not only increase our standard of living but also result in greater quantities of waste generated. Waste management and its proper disposal in landfills/open dumps are one of the major environmental issues that pose hazards and risks to the environment and human health. Landfill/ dumping sites are harmful for the environment along with all three principal spheres, i.e., hydrosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere (Szymanski et al. 2016;Butt et al. 2019; Jagod, 2018;Mahmood et al 2020). However, despite this fact and the faith in sustainability, landfill is the least preferred option. It is still a typically most applicable waste management option, not just in Pakistan but around the globe in developed or developing countries because of its simplicity and quick waste disposal.However, in order to ensure that landfills meet environmental standards, a detailed environmental risk assessment exercise is required. In some countries, it is legislative requirement, as in the UK (Regulation 15 of Waste management regulation). Developing countries also have legislation regarding environment and waste management. Environment was considered as a provincial subject in constitution of Pakistan in 2012. According to Policy and Regulation on SWM Pakistan 2010, it is reported that there are five stages in the process of establishing solid waste and landfill facility and the following aspects must be considered at each stage: 1. The need for having disposal facility 2. Appropriate site selection for solid waste disposal 3. Installing, commissioning, and operating solid waste disposal and landfill facility 4. Monitoring, evaluating, and reporting of solid waste disposal and landfill facility 5. Cessation of landfill facility. Establishment guidelines organized the rules and regulations viz, Pakistan Environment Protection Act (PEPA) 1997, Guidelines to prepare and review National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS), Policy and Regulation on SWM Pakistan, 2010).Risk assessment (RA) is an essential part of risk management such as in financial risk management, credit risk management, engineering risk management, and other aspects; it plays a significant decision-support role for risk managers to adopt reasonable risk prevention measures and strategies (Mahmood et al., 2015a;Mahmood et al., 2014b;