Evaluation of the VIKOR and FOWA Multi-Criteria Decision Making Methods for Climate-Change Adaptation of Agricultural Water Supply

Abstract

Confronting climate change is a daunting challenge that requires policies for climate adaptation in the field of water resources management. This paper proposes a method for reservoir operation associated with climate-change projections aimed at ensuring the sustainability of agricultural water supply. The method is applied to the Aidoghmoush reservoir in East Azerbaijan province (Iran) employing climate-change projections for 2040–2069, and compares the future-period results with those calculated for the baseline period (1971–2000). The water-supply system depending on the Aidoghmoush reservoir is simulated using the climate-change projections. The water-supply system simulations are ranked with two multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods according to their suitability for satisfying agricultural water demands and sustain cropping patterns. These are the multi-criteria optimization and compromise resolution (VIKOR) and the Fuzzy Order Weighted Average (FOWA) MCDM methods. The MCDM methods identify the best water-supply management alternatives for climate-change adaptation.