Proposed GIS-based Environmental Impact Assessment Approach for Site Suitability of Petrol Filling Stations in Malaysia

Sustainability of development projects economically and environmentally is a major challenging issue in developing countries which are often faced by developers today. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an effective planning and management tool which assist the environmental and socio economic viability of the new proposed development projects. The rapid growth of urbanization in recent years has created greater demand for vehicles. As a result, more fuel consumption and increased number of petrol filling stations (PFS). Development activities have high potential to cause severe damage to the environment. This study produces a GIS-based EIA land suitability analysis model using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) approach as a multi criteria decision making (MCDM) technique. Geographical Information System (GIS) is a tool which is widely used for site suitability analysis with MCDM. A PFS is an important but a hazardous facility so it needs special care for site selection. EIA can not meet the need of land suitability analysis in decision making of proposed sites alone. So, an integrated GIS-based EIA modelling would be more effective for site suitability analysis of development projects.