Using Analytical Hierarchy Process and TOPSIS Technique to Determine the Aggregate Weight of Indicators and Performance Assessment of Irrigation and Drainage Networks

Because of unsuccessful performance in most of irrigation and drainage networks، it has become more essential to assess the performance of such systems more than it used to be. The objective of the present study is to investigate the importance of effective criteria on performance of irrigation and drainage networks. For that، a combined promising framework، Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and TOPSIS technique، is considered. The survey is accomplished on the triple regions of Sefidrood Irrigation Network. Five attribute decisions include technical، management، environmental، economic and social criterion are considered as decision criteria and for each of them، 6، 7، 3، 8، and 3 sub-criterion are selected، respectively. The criteria and sub-criteria weights are computed using Expert Choice software by AHP method. Relative importance of each sub-criteria on the alternatives (Irrigation regions) is also calculated by TOPSIS technique. Results indicate that the management criterion by relative weight of 0. 384 has the greatest impact and environmental criterion by relative weight of 0. 09 has the lowest impact on the performance of the proposed irrigation network. Also، the efficiency of infrastructures and water cost attributes by weight of 0. 085 and 0. 007 have the most and less importance impact، respectively. Results reveal that Foomanat region by aggregate weight of 0. 555 is the most efficient irrigation region and Markazi region by weight of 0. 446 assigned the most unsuccessful performance among Sefidrood irrigation network regions. The sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the rank of irrigation regions may be changed as affected by reducing relative importance of technical and management criteria and increasing economic and social criteria. The proposed approach can synthesize various sets of criteria in the preference elicitation of performance، valuation and comparison of irrigation systems and their different parts.