CASE STUDY: MULTICRITERIA ASSESSMENT OF DROUGHT MITIGATION MEASURES

In this paper, a methodology for the assessment of drought mitigation measures based on a combined use of simulation models and multicriteria decision analysis MCDA is applied to a water supply system located in eastern Sicily, Italy. The system comprises two reservoirs and several diversion dams and hydropower plants, and its main uses are irrigation and municipal water supply. First, a simulation model is applied to evaluate the effects of several drought mitigation alternatives consisting of a mix of long- and short-term measures. Then, MCDA is applied to rank the different alternatives on the basis of economic, environmental, and social criteria, taking into account the process of coalition formation among stakeholders on the basis of their different point of view. The results confirm the applicability of the proposed multicriteria methodology for a transparent comparison of drought mitigation measures to be adopted as a support for the decision making process.