Integrated GIS and AHP-Based Air Quality Zonation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Kaifi Chomani

doi:10.21271/ZJPAS.37.6.14

Authors

Kaifi Chomani Civil Engineering Department, University of Raparin, Ranya, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21271/ZJPAS.37.6.14

Keywords:

Air Quality Zonation, Geographic Information System, Analytic Hierarchy Process, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

Abstract

Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) faced significant challenges related to air quality due to the rapid urbanization and industrial activities, which necessitate the air quality assessments. The advanced techniques of remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) were combined in this research to perform air quality zonation for the KRI. The Ozone (O3), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), and UV Aerosol Index, were the selected air pollutants from Sentinel 5P as average of 2024 to use as a critical parameters for air quality assessments. The considered parameters were weighted using pairwise comparison, and thematic maps were created to calculate air quality zonation map for KRI. The results were categorized into five pollution levels: very low, low, medium, high, and very high. The findings showed that 2,815 km² (6.1%) of KRI identified as region with very high air pollution, suggesting the critical need for targeted mitigation strategies. This study aid notably in sustainable environment and offers important information for policymakers to enhance public safety.

References

Abbas, T. and R. Abbas (2021). Assessing health impact of air pollutants in five Iraqi cities using AirQ+ model. IOP conference series: materials science and engineering, IOP Publishing.

Abdo, H. G., D. K. Vishwakarma, K. Alsafadi, A. A. Bindajam, J. Mallick, S. K. Mallick, K. C. A. Kumar, J. A. Albanai, A. Kuriqi and A. Hysa (2024). "GIS-based multi-criteria decision making for delineation of potential groundwater recharge zones for sustainable resource management in the Eastern Mediterranean: a case study." Applied Water Science 14(7): 160.

Ahmadi, H., A. S. Sahak, A. W. Ayoobi, E. Pekkan, M. Inceoğlu and F. Karsli (2023). "Application of GIS-based AHP model for the impact assessment of COVID-19 lockdown on environment quality: the case of Kabul City, Afghanistan." Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing 51(3): 439-452.

Ahn, C., O. Torres, H. Jethva, R. Tiruchirapalli and L. K. Huang (2021). "Evaluation of aerosol properties observed by DSCOVR/EPIC instrument from the Earth‐Sun Lagrange 1 Orbit." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 126(12): e2020JD033651.

Al-Alola, S. S., I. I. Alkadi, H. M. Alogayell, S. A. Mohamed and I. Y. Ismail (2022). "Air quality estimation using remote sensing and GIS-spatial technologies along Al-Shamal train pathway, Al-Qurayyat City in Saudi Arabia." Environmental and Sustainability Indicators 15: 100184.

Ali, Z. F., D. Salam, G. Pirisi and K. Kiss (2023). Assessment of air quality and consequent in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan region based GEE, GIS, and remote sensing techniques. E3S Web of Conferences, EDP Sciences.

Bai, L., J. Wang, X. Ma and H. Lu (2018). "Air pollution forecasts: An overview." International journal of environmental research and public health 15(4): 780.

Benchrif, A., A. Wheida, M. Tahri, R. M. Shubbar and B. Biswas (2021). "Air quality during three covid-19 lockdown phases: AQI, PM2. 5 and NO2 assessment in cities with more than 1 million inhabitants." Sustainable Cities and Society 74: 103170.

Braghiroli, F. L., H. Bouafif and A. Koubaa (2019). "Enhanced SO2 adsorption and desorption on chemically and physically activated biochar made from wood residues." Industrial Crops and Products 138: 111456.

Broqueza, M., L. Cruz, M. Mana-ay, A. Jamboy and R. Ramos (2024). "GIS-BASED REGRESSION ANALYSIS OF AIR QUALITY AND LAND SURFACE TEMPERATURE IN METRO MANILA AIRSHEDS." The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences 48: 77-83.

Campanelli, M., A. M. Siani, A. di Sarra, A. M. Iannarelli, P. Sanò, H. Diémoz, G. Casasanta, M. Cacciani, L. Tofful and S. Dietrich (2019). "Aerosol optical characteristics in the urban area of Rome, Italy, and their impact on the UV index." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions 2019: 1-23.

Chomani, K. (2023). "Assessing the impact of urbanization on flood hazards in Ranya city, using GIS and remote sensing." EURASIAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 9(3): 154-165.

Chomani, K. (2024). "Evaluating the COVID-19 Lockdown’s Effects on Land Surface Temperature, NO2, and O3 in the Erbil City, Kurdistan Region of Iraq." Cihan University-Erbil Scientific Journal 8(2): 84-92.

Crippa, M., D. Guizzardi, M. Muntean, E. Schaaf, F. Dentener, J. A. Van Aardenne, S. Monni, U. Doering, J. G. Olivier and V. Pagliari (2018). "Gridded emissions of air pollutants for the period 1970–2012 within EDGAR v4. 3.2." Earth Syst. Sci. Data 10(4): 1987-2013.

Gururani, D. M., Y. Kumar, S. A. Abed, V. Kumar, D. K. Vishwakarma, N. Al-Ansari, K. Singh, A. Kuriqi and M. A. Mattar (2023). "Mapping prospects for artificial groundwater recharge utilizing remote sensing and GIS methods." Water 15(22): 3904.

H Sherwani, K. and W. Ahmad (2023). "An Exploratory Study of Economic Factors That Hinder Economic Development of Kurdistan Region." International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies 10(1).

Hama-Aziz, Z. (2022). "Assessment of air pollution in Kurdistan region of Iraq." Pollut Res 41: 457-466.

Hassan, D. D., K. M. Yousif and A. K. Qasim (2022). "Evaluation and Parameterization of Air Pollutants as A Function of Meteorological Parameters in Zakho City, Kurdistan Region-Iraq." Science Journal of University of Zakho 10(3): 81-85.

Hassan, R. O., F. Othman Abdullah, D. Salahuddin Ali, H. Omar Othman and D. Aziz Darwesh (2024). "Evaluating the health risks of heavy metal pollution in dust storms in the city of Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq." International Journal of Environmental Health Research 34(9): 3084-3100.

Hubert, D., K.-P. Heue, J.-C. Lambert, T. Verhoelst, M. Allaart, S. Compernolle, P. D. Cullis, A. Dehn, C. Félix and B. J. Johnson (2020). "TROPOMI tropospheric ozone column data: geophysical assessment and comparison to ozonesondes, GOME-2B and OMI." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions 2020: 1-44.

Ifediegwu, S. I. (2022). "Assessment of groundwater potential zones using GIS and AHP techniques: a case study of the Lafia district, Nasarawa State, Nigeria." Applied Water Science 12(1): 10.

Jadoon, S., S. Nawazish, Q. Mahmood, A. Rafique, S. Sohail and A. Zaidi (2022). "Exploring health impacts of occupational exposure to carbon monoxide in the labour community of hattar industrial estate." Atmosphere 13(3): 406.

Kazemi Garajeh, M., G. Laneve, H. Rezaei, M. Sadeghnejad, N. Mohamadzadeh and B. Salmani (2023). "Monitoring trends of CO, NO2, SO2, and O3 pollutants using time-series sentinel-5 images based on google earth engine." Pollutants 3(2): 255-279.

Kazho, S. A. and T. Atan (2022). "Public sector downsizing and public sector performance: findings from a content analysis." Sustainability 14(5): 2989.

Khaled, B. M. T., J. M. A. Dereen, A. Bayan Hazim, Y. H. Ghariba and M. A. Y. Sami (2023). "SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION IN DUHOK URBAN AREA BY USING GIS TOOLS." Science Journal of University of Zakho 11(2): 209-214.

Kumari, S. and M. K. Jain (2018). "A critical review on air quality index." Environmental Pollution: Select Proceedings of ICWEES-2016: 87-102.

Lelieveld, J., A. Pozzer, U. Pöschl, M. Fnais, A. Haines and T. Münzel (2020). "Loss of life expectancy from air pollution compared to other risk factors: a worldwide perspective." Cardiovascular research 116(11): 1910-1917.

Li, Q., M. Ji, Y. Sun, X. Zhai and Y. Zheng (2021). Analysis and evaluation of air quality in Shandong province based on AHP. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, IOP Publishing.

Maghirang, R. G. (2019). Urban Air Quality. Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Improving Air Quality, CRC Press: 23-38.

Marinello, S., M. A. Butturi and R. Gamberini (2021). "How changes in human activities during the lockdown impacted air quality parameters: A review." Environmental progress & sustainable energy 40(4): e13672.

Mazlan, N. A., N. A. M. Zaki, R. H. Narashid, N. Talib, J. Manokaran, F. C. Arshad, S. S. M. Fauzi, N. C. Dom, M. Valipour and R. Dambul (2023). "COVID-19 restriction movement control order (MCO) impacted emissions of peninsular Malaysia using Sentinel-2a and Sentinel-5p satellite." Earth Systems and Environment 7(1): 347-358.

Muhammed, A., H. Karimi, B. Gharab, S. Neamat and K. Mirzaei (2020). "Assessment of the Quality of the Environment in Duhok Province, Kurdistan Region of Iraq." Journal of Civil Engineering Frontiers 1(02): 20-24.

Muhyadeen, S. H. and R. A. Ramadhan (2023). "Outdoor Air Contaminants-Heavy Metals and Associated Health Risks in Duhok-Iraq." Science Journal of University of Zakho 11(1): 78-83.

MUNFARIDA, I. and V. ARIDA (2023). "Air Pollution Assessment in the Main Roads of Surabaya-Indonesia During Post Covid-19." International Journal of Environmental, Sustainability, and Social Science 4(3): 664-671.

Pope, R. J., A. M. Graham, M. P. Chipperfield and J. P. Veefkind (2019). "High resolution satellite observations give new view of UK air quality." Weather 74(9): 316-320.

Sarkar, P., P. Kumar, D. K. Vishwakarma, A. Ashok, A. Elbeltagi, S. Gupta and A. Kuriqi (2022). "Watershed prioritization using morphometric analysis by MCDM approaches." Ecological Informatics 70: 101763.

Shamsudin, S., N. F. Kamaludin, N. M. Sazali, N. Awang and A. Ithnin (2023). "Indoor Air Quality Assessment in the Office of the Transformer Manufacturing Factory in Selangor, Malaysia." Malaysian Journal of Medicine & Health Sciences 19(5).

Sharif, S. F. A. and H. A. Anjel (2021). "AIR POLLUTION ESTIMATION IN ERBIL CITY CENTER USING BOX MATHEMATICAL MODEL." Journal of Duhok University 23(2): 246-253.

Srbinovska, M., V. Andova, A. Krkoleva, M. Celeska, M. Kutirov and M. Majstoroski (2023). "Evaluating the effectiveness of meteorological measurements in assessing air pollution in the republic of North Macedonia." Journal of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies.

Szyszkowicz, M. and N. de Angelis (2021). "Ambient air pollution and emergency department visits in Toronto, Canada." Environmental Science and Pollution Research 28(22): 28789-28796.

Tabunschik, V., R. Gorbunov and T. Gorbunova (2023). "Unveiling air pollution in crimean mountain rivers: analysis of sentinel-5 satellite images using google earth engine (GEE)." Remote Sensing 15(13): 3364.

Tampubolon, T., J. Yanti and F. Tampubolon (2023). Estimating Spatiotemporal Aerosol Index between MODIS and Sentinel 5 in Medan City. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, IOP Publishing.

Thakran, P., M. S. R. Narsimha, N. Charaya and D. K. Kaur (2020). "Air Quality Monitoring and Purification Devices: A Review." International Journal of Innovative Research in Computer Science & Technology (IJIRCST), ISSN: 2347-5552.

Venter, Z. S., A. Hassani, E. Stange, P. Schneider and N. Castell (2024). "Reassessing the role of urban green space in air pollution control." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121(6): e2306200121.

Vinh, N. T., T. Q. Tuan, N. Van Cuong, C. X. Truong and N. Van Quy (2022). "Application of an artificial neural network and QCM sensor coated with γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles for estimation of SO2 gas sensing characteristics." Journal of Science and Transport Technology 2(1): 21-30.

Yang, W.-C., H.-S. Kang, G.-S. Ri and J.-S. Kim (2022). "Consistency improvement method of pairwise matrix based on consistency ratio decreasing rate and attribute weighting method considered decision makers’ levels in analytic hierarchy process: application to hip joint prosthesis material selection." Mathematical Problems in Engineering 2022(1): 1463006.

Zakaria, I. and N. Mahyuddin (2022). An overview of indoor air pollution in the Malaysian kindergarten environment. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, IOP Publishing.

Zhang, W., S. Liu, X. Chen, X. Mi, X. Gu and T. Yu (2024). "Estimation of All-Day Aerosol Optical Depth in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region Using Ground Air Quality Data." Remote Sensing 16(8): 1410.

Zheng, X., M. Haseeb, Z. Tahir, A. Tariq, S. Purohit, W. Soufan, K. F. Almutairi and S. F. Jilani (2024). "Coupling Remote Sensing Insights with Vegetation Dynamics and to Analyze NO 2 Concentrations: A Google Earth Engine-driven Investigation." IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing.