Analytical hierarchical process (AHP) as a decision support tool in water resources management

Abstract

Research Article| September 01 2011 Analytical hierarchical process (AHP) as a decision support tool in water resources management Enrique Cabrera, Jr; Enrique Cabrera, Jr 1ITA - Dpto, Ingeniería Hidráulica y Medio Ambiente, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n. 46022, Valencia, Spain E-mail: qcabrera@ita.upv.es Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Ricardo Cobacho; Ricardo Cobacho 1ITA - Dpto, Ingeniería Hidráulica y Medio Ambiente, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n. 46022, Valencia, Spain Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Vicent Estruch; Vicent Estruch 2Dpto Economia y Ciencias Sociales, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n. 46022, Valencia, Spain Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Jerónimo Aznar Jerónimo Aznar 2Dpto Economia y Ciencias Sociales, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n. 46022, Valencia, Spain Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology-Aqua (2011) 60 (6): 343–351. https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2011.016 Article history Received: March 23 2011 Accepted: June 17 2011 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Cite Icon Cite Permissions Search Site Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll JournalsThis Journal Search Advanced Search Citation Enrique Cabrera, Ricardo Cobacho, Vicent Estruch, Jerónimo Aznar; Analytical hierarchical process (AHP) as a decision support tool in water resources management. Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology-Aqua 1 September 2011; 60 (6): 343–351. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2011.016 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex Despite advances in water conservation, abstraction and transport, water demand has been increasing worldwide in the past few decades. This has resulted in an increased pressure on stakeholders to provide sustainable solutions to meet future water demands. The decision-making process to find those solutions is becoming increasingly complicated. First, owing to the arrival of new technologies or the evolution of existing ones, the number of available alternatives has increased. Additionally, economic criteria have been abandoned as the sole reference for the comparison of alternatives. The increase of both options and restrictions has complicated significantly the choice of the best alternative. Until now, the search for solutions has usually focused on the reduction of all parameters and restrictions to a common denominator or the use of complex and scarcely transparent models. This paper shows how to make use of the AHP technique to improve the decision-making process in order to satisfy new water demands in a local context. This methodology has been widely used in other fields and allows the combination of quantitative and qualitative criteria. Among the virtues of AHP are transparency, simplicity and the fact that it relies on actual opinions from experts. decision-making process, water management, water policy, water resources management This content is only available as a PDF. © IWA Publishing 2011 You do not currently have access to this content.