Evaluation of Potential Development of Pressurized Irrigation in Qazvin Plain with Analytical Hierarchy Process and Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm

In this study, the potential development of a pressurized irrigation system in the irrigation and drainage network of Qazvin plain investigated using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The hierarchical analysis structure consisted of five technical, economic, socio-political, environmental, and managerial dimensions, each of which had several sub-criteria. Experts completed eighteen questionnaires. After completing the questionnaires, the results analyzed using Expert Choice software. The calculated incompatibility rate was 0.084, which was less than the maximum allowable (0.1). Examination of the final weighting of each of the sub-criteria showed that firstly, the technical dimension is the most critical factor influencing the development of pressurized irrigation systems. Secondly, the sub-criterion of the water supply of the plant with 0.129 weight, water delivery with 0.099 weight, and cultivation pattern with 0.088 weight, all of them from technical dimension; these most important factors have received special attention from experts and specialists. In other words, of the top six sub-criteria, five were the technical dimension, and only one was the economic dimension. Sensitivity analysis results also showed the overall weight of technical, economic, socio-political, managerial, and environmental criteria equal to 0.43, 0.2, 0.18, 0.11, and 0.08, respectively, indicating greater technical dimension effectiveness and consensus of different researchers. Also, the effect of different network water supply scenarios on cultivation pattern by ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithms confirmed the results of AHP.