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Land Use Evaluation of Cemeteries in Central Ecuador

Abstract:

Due to the increasing population growth and subsequently the number of corpses, it is fundamental to consider the degree of pollution of the cemeteries. Otherwise, the cemeteries become sources of pollution, inasmuch as they are their final separation and contaminants can infiltrate the soil and affect water sources. This research identifies environmentally inappropriate areas for the location of existing cemeteries in the cantons of Mejía, Quito and Rumiñahui of central Ecuador, conducting a detailed geographical study of cemeteries in critical areas. A multicriteria analysis was performed, using the Hierarchical Analytical Process (HAP) and Map Algebra. As a result, we obtained a map of areas for the location of cemeteries classified by colors. Hereby, we identified 32 out of 70 cemeteries in total, to be in inadequate and slightly adequate areas considered poorly located. Of these, nine cemeteries were selected for the generation of detailed maps with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) imagery. Hereby, none of the cemeteries complied with the minimum distance to nearest bodies of water (200 m), while the cemeteries with the highest risk of contamination were Gualea and Cotogchoa due to the proximity and the poor infrastructure they presented. The current study suggests an innovative geographical methodology for quantitative and qualitative environmental analysis of the spatial distribution of cemeteries in the region.