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Forest fires pose significant environmental and socioeconomic threats, particularly in regions such as Central India, where forest ecosystems are vital for biodiversity and local livelihoods. Understanding forest fire dynamics and identifying fire risk zones are crucial for effective mitigation. The current study explores the spatiotemporal dynamics of forest fires in the Khandwa and North Betul forest divisions in the Central Indian region over 22 years using Mann–Kendall and Sen's slope tests on MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) fire point data. We found a nonsignificant increase in forest fires in both divisions. Khandwa showed a nonsignificant slope rise of more than three events per year, while North Betul revealed an increase of around one event per year. The lack of statistical significance suggests that upward trends of forest fire events may result from random fluctuations rather than consistent patterns. Spatial autocorrelation analysis revealed significant clustering of fire incidents in both regions. Khandwa confirmed moderate clustering (Moran's I = 0.043), whereas North Betul showed robust clustering (Moran's I = 0.096). Kernel density estimation further identified high-risk clusters in both divisions, necessitating zonal-wise targeted fire management strategies. Fire risk zonation was developed using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), combining 10 environmental and socioeconomic factors. The AHP model, validated using MODIS fire data, showed reliable accuracy. The results revealed many of both divisions in the high- to very high-risk categories. Approximately, 45% of the area of the Khandwa and nearly 50% of the area of North Betul fall under high to very high fire risk zones. Khandwa's high-risk areas mainly lie in the northern and southeastern parts, while North Betul lies in the northwestern and north-eastern regions. The identified fire-prone areas indicate the pressing need for local or region-specific fire prevention and mitigation strategies. Thus, the findings of this study provide valuable insights into forest fire risk management and contribute to more focused research and methodological developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to develop a protocol for determining the suitability of ponds in Nuh watershed, Haryana, India, using hydrological zoning, analytic hierarchy process, weighted overlay approach and geospatial techniques. Maximum area is in moderate and low run-off zones, with 50.43% and 32.4% of the area covering 104 and 129 ponds respectively. Area under least, moderate, high suitable zones are 33.2%, 51.92% and 11.38% respectively. Also, 137 more ponds are proposed, with 2, 49 and 86 ponds having very high, high and moderate suitable zones respectively. If these 472 ponds are revived, additional areas can be brought under irrigation in the watershed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development is essential for the survival of the planet. The massive increase in GHG emissions due to human activities has put the world in unrest. The Indian construction industry is emerging and evolving at a rapid rate and has understood the grave situation, and for saving the environment has come up with innovative solutions for developing green buildings or sustainable construction. In this paper, the two different (the GRIHA Rating System and the IGBC Green New Building Rating System) of India were studied. The sample size was 40 construction professionals working on green building projects. An interview schedule was used for data collection. The data was subjected to a suitable analysis and the AHP method was applied. Based on the research findings, strategies to go green has been suggested for the IGBC and GRIHA rating system which may serve as a ready reckoner for enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the construction management process. Therefore, keeping in mind the above view this research paper "Review of Indian Green Building Rating Systems by Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) on Various Parameters" becomes indispensable. Hence, this research study can be considered an effort to empower construction professionals to create an extensive analysis of green building concepts and develop sustainably in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides are a severe geological hazard in northeastern India, particularly in Mizoram's Aizawl district. To assess this hazard, we conducted a landslide susceptibility mapping study using the frequency ratio (FR) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) methods. Twelve factors, including slope, elevation, aspect, curvature, topographic wetness index, topographic ruggedness index, rainfall erosivity factor, geology, land use land cover, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and distance to road, were considered. The final susceptibility maps were created by combining these factors, each weighted according to its importance. Since no standard classification guidelines existed, we compared different systems like GIS-based geometric interval (GIC), natural breaks (NBC), and quantile interval (QIC) with mean-standard deviation (MSC). The area was divided into five susceptibility zones: very high, high, moderate, low, and very low. We evaluated the accuracy of these systems using success rate curve (SRC) and quality sum ratio (Qs) techniques. SRC results showed similar performance for GIC, NBC, QIC, and MSC classifications. The AHP method also yielded comparable results. After analyzing the AUC under SRC and Qs, we selected the MSC classification system as the optimal approach for landslide susceptibility mapping. Notably, the distance to roads factor had the highest predictive value, highlighting its importance in identifying slope instability for effective management strategies. As landslides pose significant risks in northeastern India, and our study using FR and AHP methods, along with MSC classification, provides valuable insights for mitigating this geological hazard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investment casting process is a well-recognized manufacturing process to produce industrial castings with tight, narrow tolerances, good surface finish, as well as higher complexity for many diversified sectors. However, complexity of investment castings is mostly represented by qualitative manner, and quantitative representation of complexity is not fully explored. In this work, efforts have been put to identify distinguished attributes contributing complexity involved in manufacturing investment castings and in quantifying it. In total, different 52 attributes that further characterize 212 meta-attributes were identified through rigorous survey conducted in one of the largest investment casting clusters representing nearly 25% of total investment casting foundries in India. These 52 attributes represent 19 elements that further signify 3 factors (geometry, features and manufacturability) contributing in overall complexity index. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) has been adopted for computing relative weight for factors, elements, attributes as well as meta-attributes that further used in computation of complexity index. Developed complexity index was tested with several industrial castings and found it very useful. This will really help the designer to assist in the selection of the investment casting process for manufacturing industrial castings, and will contribute to the philosophy of design for manufacturing, and in turn, to design for investment casting (DFIC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flash flood is the most recurrent natural threat in northeastern India, especially during the peak of the monsoon season. In recent decades, the frequency of flash floods has considerably increased in the Himalayan watersheds, causing enormous human suffering, infrastructure damage, ecosystem disruption, and economic losses. Considering the exponential rise in the frequency of flash flood events, identifying the Flash Flood Vulnerable Zones (FFVZs) is one of the most crucial findings to limit their negative consequences. In this study, grey fuzzy analytic hierarchy process-based model integrated with the geographic information system is implemented to assess the flash flood vulnerability in the Ranikhola watershed, East Sikkim, India. Additionally, a novel Flash Flood Vulnerability Index (FFVI) is proposed to determine the flash flood vulnerability that takes into account twelve natural and anthropogenic parameters. Further, the FFVI map is classified into three FFVZs: low, moderate, and high. The effectiveness of the methodology implemented is judged by the high EV value (6.4286) and the comparison parameter. The harshest conclusion of this analysis, the major cities, such as Gangtok, Ranipool, and Singtam, are designated high FFVZ. The sensitivity analysis results show the LULC has the maximum positive influence on high FFVZ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Now a days, assessment of flood risk is a significant concern worldwide, particularly in regions experiencing rapid urbanization and climate change. This study utilizes the analytic hierarchy process and Geographic Information Systems to assess flood risk under changing climate in the Lower Tapi river basin (LTRB) in India. The objective is to develop flood hazard and flood vulnerability maps and subsequently to create a flood risk map by integrating them in LTRB in a Base and Advance scenario, i.e., under changing climate. The change point study to identify Advance scenario has been employed to distinguish the year from which sudden change in the data emerge out. The flood risk contributing factors are included in this study are Elevation, Distance from river, Average annual rainfall, Drainage density, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Slope, Clay percentage, Topographic Wetness Index, Population density, Average Crop production, Land use Land cover, and Road River intersection. The developed flood risk map has been separated into five zones of the level of risk, namely very high, high, moderate, low, and very low-risk zones. The flood risk maps developed in Base scenario and in Advance scenario are compared to investigate the impact of changing climate in Lower Tapi river basin. It is revealed that the high and very high-risk zone area proliferated, and very low and moderate risk area condensed in the Advance scenario. The developed flood risk maps in Base and Advance scenario can aid in effective disaster management and planning for the region under changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequent extreme weather events result in substantial economic losses for farming communities, posing a significant threat to the livelihood security of smallholder farmers in the Sundarbans region of India. Various agricultural enterprises in this area are continually at risk due to saline water intrusion, crop damage from heavy rainfall, and flooding. We examine the strategies farmers have adopted to sustain their livelihoods in the face of these extreme weather events. We collected primary data from a randomly selected sample of 1,200 farmers across six blocks in the Sundarbans region, focussing on farm households engaged in diverse agricultural enterprises, including field crop cultivation, livestock rearing, and fish farming. We used the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to prioritize the coping mechanisms adopted by these farming communities. The assessment of coping mechanisms was based on four criteria: ease of implementation, cost, effectiveness, and durability for long-term application. Effectiveness got the highest weights of 0.492 followed by the durability of the coping strategy weights of 0.309. Coping mechanisms pertaining to managing soil health against soil salinity, raising livestock and fish species as well as cultivating field crops were identified and prioritized according to their perceived efficacy against extreme weather events. Our results can inform the formulation of robust and sustainable development policies for agricultural and allied sectors in the Indian Sundarbans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater is essential to human well‐being and sustains a variety of aquatic ecosystems in both urban and rural settings. Yet, it is commonly overlooked in these contexts. As a result, groundwater may be very important to the development and well‐being of many nations if it is properly evaluated and utilized. Although the possibility for sustainable groundwater resource development is still debated in the literature, these issues still lack quantitative understanding. In order to assess groundwater potential in two different urbanized regions of "Northern Kerala, Southern India," this research uses the "Enhanced Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (E‐Fuzzy AHP) based Multi‐Criteria Decision Making (MCDM)‐Geospatial Framework employing Improved Particle Swarm Optimization (IPSO)". The study area is a coastal region that is quickly becoming urbanized and relies on groundwater resources to meet its basic needs. By incorporating both spatial and non‐spatial data into the Geographic Information System (GIS) platform, a groundwater potential zone map with an accurate integer value was created, known as the "groundwater potential index (GWPI)". The very excellent potential zone occupies 35% and 11%, respectively, of the "urban and peri‐urban zones," according to the final groundwater potential map, which employed the quantile technique to split the research territory into four zones. The statistical effectiveness and dependability of results in the overall decision‐making phase were examined in the validation study using the data on mean water depth level, and it was found that the reliability was well within the tolerance threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focuses on the urban expansion occurring in the Kamrup Metropolitan District—an area experiencing significant urbanization—with the aim of understanding its patterns and projecting future growth. The research covers the period from 2000 to 2022 and projects growth up to 2052, providing insights for sustainable urban planning. The study utilizes the maximum likelihood method for land use/land cover (LULC) delineation and the Shannon entropy technique for assessing urban sprawl. Additionally, it integrates the cellular automata (CA)-Markov model and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for future projections. The results indicate a considerable shift from non-built-up to built-up areas, with the proportion of built-up areas expected to reach 36.2% by 2032 and 40.54% by 2052. These findings emphasize the importance of strategic urban management and sustainable planning. The study recommends adaptive urban planning strategies and highlights the value of integrating the CA Markov model and AHP for policymakers and urban planners. This can contribute to the discourse on sustainable urban development and informed decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In developing countries such as India, Bengaluru city has experienced extraordinary growth in vehicle traffic on arterial roads, causing intersections to operate over capacity under mixed traffic conditions. The speed on urban streets in central business district areas is lower than 15 kmph during peak hours. One of the main routes connecting the airport to the central business district is also vulnerable to this problem. Therefore, providing an alternative route to divert traffic from the mainstream is critical. This study's main goal is to identify alternate routes from Majestic to the airport using remote sensing and a geographic information system, and then evaluate those alternates using the Fuzzy‐TOPSIS approach. This study has used the GIS Arc software application to select the alternative while taking numerous factors such as time, speed, distance, environmental impact, and economic feasibility into consideration. The video graphic and moving car observer methods have been used for the extraction of data for the inventory of the existing route, while the geo image processing tool has been used to analyze alternative routes in the Bengaluru metropolitan area (BMA). The analysis has shown that the alternative route has a lesser travel time of 2 h 30 min in public transit and 1 h 30 min in private mode. The future scope of the study is to compare the alternative and the most suitable routes to divert traffic. Another public transport route network could be developed to minimize the external incoming vehicles in BMA, particularly to reach the airport on urban roads under heterogeneous traffic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing groundwater potential zones (GWPz) is important to determine the realistic groundwater availability scenario and to formulate plans for its optimal utilization to achieve groundwater sustainability. This investigation aimed to delineate GWPz in the Nand Samand Catchment, Rajasthan, India, utilizing an integrated method of remote sensing, geographic information system, and analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The present study used ten thematic layers, viz., lineament density, well recharge, geomorphology, soil, topographic elevation, slope, rainfall, transmissivity, the post-monsoon water level in the well and land use/land cover for the GWPz delineation. The delineated GWPz in the research area were classified as 'good (G),' 'moderate (M),' 'poor (P)' and 'very poor (VP).' Results showed that 'good' GWPz constituted about 21.23% of the catchment area. The southeast area and small patches of the western side of the research area have 'moderate' groundwater potential, covering 53.18% of the total area. Approximately 23.77% area was found with poor GWPz. In the research area, 1.82% area represents very poor groundwater potential. In the present study, the GWPz map was validated using sixteen randomly selected wells yield data (liters per day), and an accuracy of 81.25% was found with the delineated GWPz map. Furthermore, the receiver operating characteristics curve was also used for the validation, indicating a satisfactory accuracy prediction (AUC = 0.889). Validation by both methods justifies the efficiency of the AHP technique for the groundwater potential zoning. Finally, this work establishes a viable method for assessing the potential availability of groundwater, which will be helpful in the future for the planning and managing groundwater resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Heightened public concerns for the global environment due to human overexploitation have given rise to many green product initiatives by businesses. Green cosmetics (GC) are products developed and marketed based on ecological sustainability and have shown increasing consumer appeal worldwide. The current research investigates the antecedents of green cosmetics consumption among Indian GC users, hitherto un-investigated comprehensively. Design/methodology/approach: The study is a cross-sectional pairwise comparison of green evaluation criteria for cosmetics using an expert panel of thirty Indian cosmetic users using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (F-AHP) and investigate the impact of a comprehensive list of antecedents on the multi-criteria category consumption decision. Findings: The study results indicate that perceived consumer effectiveness is the most critical factor for green cosmetics consumption in India, followed by brand trust, behavioural control, and environmental effectiveness. The least important factors are price and social norms. Research limitations/implications: As the GC category is at nascent stage in India the investigation is limited to the GC category innovators – a set of people high in intellectual and financial resources. The study is also limited to women users as the male cosmetic market in the country is still very small. Practical implications: The study results can help marketers in designing and implementing GC related marketing strategies to deliver higher customer value to the target segment. Academicians can use the study results for better prediction of category related behaviour of consumers. Social implications: The study results will help promote GC category adoption and usage which can benefit the environment and consumer health. Originality/value: The study contributes to literature and practice by assessing a comprehensive set of critical antecedents to GC adoption using a novel approach of F-AHP and an expert user panel. The study results offer insights to marketers that can be used to develop suitable strategies to convert non-GC users into GCs in India and similar markets, improving category penetration and benefitting marketers, retailers, users, and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increase in soil erosion affects the storage capacity of reservoirs, navigation, floodplain inundation, water quality, and quantity in different parts of the world. Therefore, identifying vulnerable soil erosion zones within the watersheds and developing a catchment treatment plan can minimize soil erosion losses and improve reservoir sedimentation management. In this study, we calculated the average annual soil loss using the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) method for the Hirakud catchment of the Mahanadi River Basin, India. The Hirakud dam, located on the river Mahanadi is considered the longest dam in Asia, witnessing major sedimentation problems over the past years. Our results suggest that the average annual soil loss is approximately 29 tons per hectare per year. At the same time, 0.7% of the land area contributes to very high erosion. The average annual soil loss is 0.8 t/ha. Using remote sensing and GIS tools, suitable soil conservation methods are recommended based on the watershed's Prioritization. Utilizing Saaty's AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) techniques, each erosion hazard parameter (EHP) is designated by weight, and the vulnerable regions are prioritized by overlaying the weights over the study area. Overall, nearly 17% of the area falls under the high priority, and 1% falls under the category of extremely high priority. In the extremely high-priority watershed, it is recommended to construct 38 farm ponds, 14 check dams, nine gully plugs, 27 percolation ponds, and two surface dikes, depending on the ground and stream characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flooding is a regular danger in the Idukki district of Kerala causing serious damage to life and property. An attempt has been undertaken in this research to identify crucial zones in the Idukki district that are more susceptible to flooding. The AHP technique was used to give relative weights to 12 flood contributing parameters. The resultant flood susceptibility map shows that 1346.4 km2 of the total land in the Idukki district has a high to very high likelihood of flooding. Validation of the resultant map was achieved using the AUC-ROC approach, which showed good accuracy of 0.91. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pavement asset management system (PAMS) is a stakeholder and data-driven approach that uses engineering tools to select strategies for rehabilitation and maintenance interventions. However, the impact of maintenance interventions on stakeholders' satisfaction is seldom considered in decision-making. For a given road network, the degree of interest, power, and influence of stakeholders on the suggested maintenance decision vary and hence causes dissatisfaction due to inefficient stakeholder management practices. Thus, the objective of this study was to develop a multi-criteria decision-making approach-based optimization model to select pavement maintenance interventions with an aim to endeavor a balance between PAMS decisions and stakeholders' satisfaction. First, engineering analysis was performed to ascertain the maintenance interventions without stakeholder participation. Second, a systematic stakeholder-centric analysis on pavement maintenance interventions was performed. Finally, an optimization tool that balances engineering analysis and stakeholder satisfaction was developed using the analytic hierarchy process and VIekriterijumsko KOmpromisno Rangiranje (VIKOR) methods. A set of four road sections as a case study in the State of Andhra Pradesh, India, was used to develop and test the model. It is anticipated that the optimization tool could be used to ascertain optimum maintenance intervention that equilibrates stakeholder needs and manages budgetary constraints. Also, this study is envisioned to provide evidence that the proposed methodology will be a rational approach to improve stakeholder participation in the overall PAMS process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural disasters such as earthquakes endanger human lives and infrastructure, particularly in urban areas. With the advancements in science and technology in understanding natural hazards, recent studies have attempted to mitigate them by mapping the risks using geospatial technology. In this paper, we attempt to integrate the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) models, namely the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Criteria Importance Through Inter-criteria Correlation (CRITIC), besides using the artificial neural network (ANN) to assess the seismic risk in the eastern coast of India. The AHP-CRITIC technique is used to evaluate the earthquake coping capacity and vulnerability and has been further used to generate a training base for earthquake probability mapping by ANN. The earthquake probability and spatial intensity information are used to develop the hazard map. Following that, integrating vulnerability, hazard and coping capacity spatial information assessed earthquake risk. Our results indicate that approximately 5% of the study area is at high risk, whilst more than 11% of the population is at high risk due to seismic induced hazards. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve is 0.85, which indicates reliable results. The results of this study may help various agencies involved in planning, development and disaster mitigation to develop seismic hazard mitigation methods by better understanding their impacts on the eastern coastal region of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flooding in urban areas is increasingly becoming a global challenge, driven by extreme rainfall events and the vulnerability or resilience of affected regions. This urban flood disaster not only threatens societal security but also hampers economic development in cities. Satellite remote sensing technology has played a crucial role in all aspects of flood disaster management, including preparedness, prevention, and relief efforts. Space systems, with their advantageous perspective, have proven their ability to provide essential information and services for effective flood management. This study focuses on creating flood hazard maps for Bengaluru's urban district using an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)-based Multi-Criterion Decision Analysis (MCDA) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. Factors such as rainfall, drainage networks, land use, groundwater levels, terrain elevation, slope, and soil type are considered. The AHP method assigns weights and ranks to each factor, and a weighted linear combination approach is used to merge basic maps into the final flood vulnerability map. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater resources are essential for drinking water, irrigation, and the economy mainly in semiarid environments where rainfall is limited. Currently, unpredictable rainfall due to climate change and pollution on the Earth's surface directly affects groundwater resources. In this area, most people depend on groundwater resources for irrigation and drinking purposes, and every summer, most of the area depends on groundwater in a semiarid environment. Hence, we selected two popular methods, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and multiple influence factor (MIF) methods, which can be applied to map groundwater potential zones. Nine thematic layers, such as land use and land cover (LULC), geomorphology, soil, drainage density, slope, lineament density, elevation, groundwater level, and geology maps, were selected for this study using remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. These layers are integrated in ArcGIS 10.5 software with the help of the AHP and MIF methods. The map of the groundwater potential zones in the study area revealed four classes, i.e., poor, moderate, good, and very good, based on the AHP and MF methods. The groundwater potential zone area is 241.50 (ha) Poor, 285.64 (ha) moderate, 408.31 (ha) good, and 92.75 (ha) very good using the AHP method. Similarly, the MIF method revealed that the groundwater potential classes were divided into four classes: 351.29 (ha) poor, 511.18 (ha), moderate, 123.95 (ha) good, and 41.78 (ha) very good. The results were compared to determine which methods are best for planning water and land resource development in specific areas that have basaltic rock and drought conditions. Both groundwater potential zone maps were validated with water yield data. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC) model results are found to be 0.80 (good) and 0.93 (excellent) using the MIF and AHP methods, respectively; hence, the AHP method is best for delineation of groundwater potential zone maps and groundwater resource planning. The present study's framework and the results will be valuable for improving the efficiency of irrigation, conserving rainwater and maintaining the ecosystem in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green hydrogen can be the transitional solution required to reduce anthropogenic emissions and enhance energy independency from fossil fuel. To improve green hydrogen adoption, a cluster-based infrastructure, called a hydrogen hub, is devised taking into account the demand-supply interplay coupled with transport ease. In this paper, we have identified sites across states that are conducive for hydrogen hubs. It involves a multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) framework deployed to assign priorities within competing set of criteria. A comprehensive analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is used to rank criteria that are connected to establish a functioning hydrogen hub. These criteria include, but not limited to, proximity to refineries, fertilizer plants, substations, chlor-alkali units, steel manufacturing plants, water availability, access to gas pipelines, railway line access, and finally distance to highways. Our analyses indicate that proximity to refineries and fertilizers scored higher (scores directly proportional to importance) while railway line access scored the least. These prioritised scores are used to spatially locate sites using geographical information system. In a total of thirteen states identified, Gujarat had the largest parcel of most suitable land for setting up hydrogen hub followed by Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. For India to set up a functioning hydrogen economy and achieve green hydrogen goals, it is important to identify states that can drive the agenda forward. This paper illustrates a way (amongst many available ways) to identify states based on their strength and capability to fulfil the national goal of 5 million tons of green hydrogen by 2030. • The paper addresses setting up of green hydrogen hubs in India based on a multi-criteria site selection framework. • Nine selection criteria covering aspects of hydrogen ecosystem proposed to identify site(s) suitable for hydrogen hubs. • Integration of AHP and GIS is used to ascertain land parcels where hydrogen economy can sustain across states in India. • Zones in 13 states were identified as potential hydrogen hubs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has abundant water resources, including rivers and snow-covered mountains in the Himalayas, which can supply the country's water needs. In many areas, however, accessible water supplies are depleting due to fast population growth and the need to fulfill rising demands for irrigation, human and industrial consumption. Physico-chemical and microbiological characteristics were stuided of the Asan river water in Doon valley of Uttarakhand, India, that sampled were collected a fourteen water quality parameters at seven locations from October 2018 to March 2019. The water quality index and water quality maps was prepared in the Arc GIS software 10.7 using Inverse distance weighted (IDW) method. The sampled datasets were used to prepare a spatial water quality index map based on Analytical Hierarchy Process. Based on the results the weightage of the pH was found to the maximum (24%), BOD (17%), DO (13.7%), TDS (11.1%), EC (7.8%), TH (4.8%), CH (4.6%), MH (4.5%), WT (3.4%), AT (2.4%), Na (1.9%), K (1.7%), NO3(1.5%) and PO4 (1.3%). The result demonstrates that the water is heavily polluted towards station three caused due to the extensive anthropogenic activities. Thus, there is a need for combined government and non-government measures to enable the Asan rivers to slow their decline and return to their natural, pollutant-free state, which is crucial for the health of their environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Champhai, the rice bowl of Mizoram, is known for wet rice practices. Rapid urbanization and global climate change increased the demand for groundwater. Champhai city, being a hilly township in northeast India, is very difficult to identify the potential groundwater water availability. The present study aimed at groundwater potentiality zonation in Champhai town. For these purposes ten (10) factors from topographic, climatic, hydrological and other conditions were assigned weightage based on the AHP (analytical hierarchy process) technique. The aspect was given maximum weightage as the aspect working as the controlling factors of precipitation intensity, vegetation and soil type, while LULC (land use land cover) was assigned minimum weightage that unscientific human activities reduced infiltration rate. Subsequently, an addition of ten weighted rasters was performed for groundwater potentiality zonation. As a result, it was seen that the maximum part of the study area covered low potentiality zones (31.88%), whereas high and very high potential zone covered 14.73% and 5.08, respectively. A scientific validation technique, namely AUC (area under curve) value of 0.737, denoted a good classified groundwater water potentiality zone. Further, the single-layer sensitivity analysis highlighted that elevation, slope, aspect, infiltration number, distance to streams and rainfall had the maximum effective factors based on their effective weightage. The map removal sensitivity analysis highlighted that TWI (Topographic Wetness Index) and aspect had the maximum influence on the model. However, in a hilly environment like Champhai, the output of the current study will work as a blueprint for planning and decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry deals with the growing complexity and dynamism exposed to numerous and interdependent risks which, evolve throughout the project. In most risk management processes, risk identification forms a long list or matrix, which it difficult in identifying more influenced risks. Preparing a risk list or risk matrix in the identification process has become inadequate for prioritizing risks. The construction industry is classified as commercial, industrial, and residential; identifying and managing the project risk for them on a common platform is difficult. In the present work risk breakdown structure (RBS) tool is used for the brief, clear identification of risks by interviewing and brainstorming with the experts involved in three commercial construction projects. It provides a means for grouping all possible individual project risks into risk categories (RC), linked by father/son relations, and risk events (RE) form the hierarchy. Further, analyzed to find the impact on the three main pillars of sustainability: Environmental, Financial, and Social. The plotted results are further structured with the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and found the global weight of each RC's. The method is applied to illustrate the principle of process and highlights risk identification and its assessment in the Indian commercial construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nagaon is one of the highly flood‐prone districts of Assam, India that recurrently experiences devastating floods resulting in the loss of lives and property and wreaking havoc on the district's socioeconomic infrastructure. Identification and mapping of spatial patterns of flood hazards, flood vulnerability, and flood risk zones (FRZs) of the district are, therefore, crucial for flood management and mitigation. The present study, therefore, attempts to delineate the FRZs of more than 930 villages in the Nagaon district by integrating the flood hazard and vulnerability layers in the geospatial environment using the multi‐criteria decision analysis and analytical hierarchy process techniques. Here, seven flood hazard and vulnerability indicators are considered to derive each layer separately. The results indicate that about 15.14% of the district's total villages are in the very high FRZ, 27.93% in the high, 46.62% in the moderate, and 10.3% in the low FRZ. Further, bivariate correlation analysis is used to evaluate the results with the percentages of the population, cropland, and animals affected by floods at different temporal scales in order to ensure that the revenue circles with a higher percentage of area under high and very high FRZs genuinely have higher percentages of flood‐affected cropland, people, and livestock. The significance of this research is evident in its pragmatic findings that could aid the stakeholders in managing and reducing flood risk at micro‐spatial scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land suitability analysis is method for obtaining optimum utilization of naturally accessible land resources. This study aims to identify the mustard cultivation suitability potential sites in rabi season using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in the Imphal–Iril river catchment Manipur, India. Using the geospatial approach, the assessment was conducted by using climate, soil and topography data. The findings indicate that AHP method could potentially be used to classify suitable zones for mustard cultivation. Highly suitability zones for mustard were observed in the valley portion having mild slope while moderately suitable sites were primarily found near the foothill, which have a gentle sloping topography. Not suitable zone were found mostly in the hilly regions. This assessment will helpful for cropping management option to the regional growers and the policy makers to achieve high production of mustard in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanical recycling is an indispensable tool for plastic waste (PW) recycling and has the highest share in the PW recycling sector in India. The transition to the circular economy of plastics (CEoP) needs a systemic perspective on the mechanical recycling processes. Nevertheless, the assessment of multiple parameters influencing the mechanical recycling of PW is a complex decision-making problem for the development of triple-bottom-line mechanical recycling. A systemic perspective of various mechanical recycling scenarios was performed by employing a multi-criteria decision-making approach to examine the complexity of interlinked factors in the present investigation. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) integrated with grey relational analysis (GRA) was used to evaluate the criteria that directly influence quality-oriented mechanical recycling. Data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews using a framed questionnaire in stakeholder engagement with mechanical recyclers of PW. The first level hierarchy included economy, technical, resource consumption and environmental criteria. These criteria were further categorized into various significant indices such as quality of recyclate, recyclability, water and energy consumption during recycling. The results of the integrated grey relational analysis indicated that the technical parameters including quality of recyclate, resource efficiency, PW processing rate and recyclability have a significant influence on mechanical recycling. Based on AHP-GRA, scenario MR6, i.e. manufacturing of PET strap from recycled PET flakes, was ranked the optimal mechanical process amongst the various scenarios. MR6 was followed by Straps and Films at the second and third rank. The lowest ranking was observed for polymer blend recycling. These processes with higher ranks produced good quality recyclate with better efficiency and recyclability. Moreover, these processes consumed optimal resources during manufacturing. These processes also exhibited less maintenance cost, high production rate, low chemical consumption and waste generation as well as implemented pollution control practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prioritization of watersheds is a crucial step in integrated river basin management. It guides resource allocation, planning, decision-making, stakeholder engagement, targeted interventions, and monitoring and evaluation efforts. By identifying and addressing priority watersheds, comprehensive and sustainable management of water resources can be achieved within a river basin. The aim of the current study is to prioritize watersheds using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and site suitability analysis for the implementation of soil and water conservation structures (SWCS) in the prioritized watersheds by using an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) of the Lower Sutlej Sub-basin, India. The model was calibrated with observed data from 2017 to 2019 with the first 2 years (2015–16) as a warm-up period. Furthermore, validation of the model was done using 2-year data from 2020 to 2021. The model showed successful performance in terms of the R2 range from 0.72 to 0.89, the NSE range from 0.67 to 0.73, the PBIAS range from − 26.70 to 11.30, and the RSR range from 0.51 to 0.57 for stream flow and sediment yield during calibration and validation period. The basin's average annual soil loss ranged from 3.08 to 21.63 t/ha/year, a watershed with the WS2 index seeing the highest rate of soil erosion (21.63 t/ha/year). Hence, WS2 was found to be a top priority. In addition, the site suitability analysis of the prioritized watershed (WS2) reveals that about 1.42% of the area is extremely suitable, 16.14% is highly suitable, and 35.58% is moderately suitable for SWCS. According to the site suitability map validation, both dam locations were found in highly suitable areas, so the developed site suitability map is accurate. This research will help sustainability planners and managers make more informed decisions when building SWCS at suitable sites for better land and water conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female-based urban poverty has been a widely researched topic fitting into the pursuit of gender equality since the Beijing 1995 Conference for Women. However, the criteria for measuring female-based urban poverty assume a direct role in reducing various urban poverty manifestations amongst females. Nevertheless, standard domains such as economic and educational statuses show some noticeable characteristics in smaller townships located in the low-urbanised states of India. The city under concern — Sehore Municipal Council (M.C. hereafter) — furnishes an example of an emerging urban area in a low-urbanised state of Madhya Pradesh (27.6% of the urban population compared to the national average of 31.16%) where domain-wise spatial manifestations of female-based urban poverty are noticeable. In addition to the financial aspect of urban poverty, the study attempts to identify local area determinants related to the socio-economic and the cultural environment of Sehore M.C., using standard variables and indicators for the spatial manifestation of female-based urban poverty through a GIS-based multi-criteria decision-making technique of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Female-based urban poverty in Sehore M.C., lying within the urban sphere of influence of two metro cities of Bhopal and Indore, is analysed across six domains of economic, educational, social, health, lack of decision-making and time poverty, for 17 selected localities across four wards. Out of the six selected domains, the economic poverty domain turns out to be the strongest, while time poverty is the least dominant. The present model of female-based urban poverty may apply to similar newly urbanising areas falling within the ambit of metro cities in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study attempts to identify the flood footprint of river Keleghai, a tributary of river Haldi, in West Bengal, India. Keleghai basin is known for recurrent flooding that causes severe damage to the socioeconomic infrastructure. So far, no attempt has been made for the identification of flood inundation footprints and flood risk zones in Keleghai river basin through remote sensing and multi-criteria decision-making process. Initially, a flood susceptibility or vulnerability map has been prepared, and secondly, flood footprints have been identified in the said river basin. For the preparation of flood vulnerability map with the help of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), the elevation, slope, rainfall, normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), land use and land cover (LULC) and distance from river and topographical wetness index (TWI) of the concerned river basin have been used. To prepare the flood footprints synthetic aperture radar (SAR), data have been processed on Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. The result shows that more than 50% of the basin area belongs to high risk zone, and the other 40% comes under the moderate risk category. The central, northern and eastern parts of the basin present the highest susceptibility to flood hazard. This area is characterised by moderate-to-low elevation, gentle slope, moderate rainfall and less vegetative cover. This outcome can effectively be utilised in hazard management purpose for Keleghai as well as other river basins. This study will help in identifying the most vulnerable zones of the basin in terms of flood hazard assessment. On the other hand, correlating the empirical model with the real world data will provide excellent opportunity to testify the applicability of the model in decision-making purpose that could lead to a way of resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, the polarization of growth towards urban areas leads to a considerable rise in multifamily, high-rise residential projects. Hence, incorporating sustainability in high-rise residential construction is one of the key aims of sustainable urban development. This study presents a comprehensive framework for the sustainability assessment of high-rise residential projects in India, addressing economic, environmental and social dimensions throughout the project's life cycle. The proposed framework comprises 44 attributes, 11 criteria and three dimensions of sustainability based on an extensive literature review, Indian government policies and guidelines for environmental clearance of residential projects and India's commonly adopted green building rating systems. The present study has identified 12 economically favourable sustainability attributes which can be helpful to encourage developers to implement them. Further, the analytic hierarchy process was used to evaluate the weights of identified sustainability attributes, criteria and dimensions based on experts' opinions. The developed sustainability assessment framework provides a blueprint for promoting sustainable practices in high-rise residential construction. It can also be used to develop a sustainability assessment tool for high-rise residential projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heritage conservation in urban areas involves complex systems often faced with the dilemmas of maintaining the built form's historical character, improving infrastructure, and managing development through stakeholder cooperation. At present, the performance of any conservation project is solely vested in conserving the built fabric. Evaluation tools for urban heritage conservation projects do not have provisions for measuring the subjective value of stakeholders who are part of the heritage setting. This study tries to identify and prioritise the factors that need to be considered when developing a conservation project performance assessment model for an urban heritage conservation project from the perspective of experts that can be further evaluated from the perspective of stakeholders. As these complex systems can be better viewed in the context of developing countries, the case of India is adopted. From a literature review, factors that contribute to the outcome of an urban heritage conservation project were identified and categorised into six aspects: the physical, social, economic, cultural, political, and continuity aspects. Through an expert survey, the factors that constituted each aspect were filtered using the feature selection method of correlation to avoid factors that may seem related. The factors under each aspect were ranked using a weighted average ranking method to identify the most prioritised factors determining the outcome of an urban heritage conservation project. The priority weights of the aspects were calculated using Saaty's analytic hierarchy process. The results show that the cultural aspect was the most important aspect, followed by the continuity aspect. The social and physical aspects were prioritised similarly, followed by the economic and political aspects. This study is distinctive because it identifies the influential factors that can help develop a conservation project performance assessment model for an urban heritage conservation project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to assess and evaluate the condition of existing bridges adequately and accurately is a critical aspect of bridge maintenance and management, which involves condition assessments. Multiple hazards can affect existing bridges, making them vulnerable or risky, and any decision support concerning their management requires special attention. A rational and systematic framework for making practical decisions about the hazards present in a region and the appropriate level of risk is presented in this paper. An analytical hierarchy process (AHP) framework is proposed to rank hazards in hierarchical order based on a region's characteristics and a suitable analysis range, which provides the degree of risk that could jeopardise bridges. The proposed method can assist decision makers in selecting appropriate strategies for improving existing bridges. As a result, bridge inspection costs can be significantly reduced, maintenance and repair funds can be more effectively allocated and the safety, mobility, longevity and reliability of highway transportation assets can be improved. The approach was used in a case study of existing reinforced concrete (RC) bridges in the Barak Valley region in Assam, India. Such an approach is novel to the Indian subcontinent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides cause significant damage to property and life in the West Jaintia Hills district in Meghalaya, India, due to mountains, slopes, and extreme rainfall. Landslide susceptibility maps are highly efficient and helpful for disaster preparation and management. The determination of this work is to create a landslide susceptibility map (LSM) for West Jaintia Hills using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method. The previous landslide data are required for effective management of the current situation, and these data are divided into training samples (75%) and testing samples (25%) for predicting efficiency. The different landslide causative factors are investigated in this study: rainfall, slope, geomorphology, elevation, lineament density, LULC, distance from a road, NDWI, MSAVI, and NDVI. The causal factors are subdivided and weighted according to AHP, and a susceptibility map is prepared. According to the developed map, 19% of the region's total area is low susceptible, 52% moderate, 25% high, and 4% very highly susceptible. Field data and the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) approach are used to validate the produced map. The outcomes indicate that the predicted susceptibility map closely reflects previous and recent landslide events. The created map is accurate and can be applied to future land-use planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme flood events have been recorded recently in the Mahanadi River basin in India with a high destructive potential that causes large social and economic damages. Because fewer hydrometeorological stations can record the flood magnitude in the basin, exploring new datasets like Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) becomes important to overcome the barriers of assessing the hydrological extremes. The study estimates the flood potential using the GRACE-based terrestrial water storage (TWS) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP)-based topographic flood susceptibility to model the non-stationary flood frequency. During extreme flood events, the magnitude of the combined flood potential index (CFPI) is high (CFPI > 0.6), which correlates with higher river discharge. The CFPI value for the 2012 flood event with a discharge of 11,000 m3/sec (corresponds to a 35-year return period) is recorded at 0.67. Likewise, the CFPI for the flood event in 2011, which corresponds to a return period of 17 years, also stands at 0.63. The overall correlation between the discharge values of various flood events and CFPI values is above 0.8 for all locations, indicating GRACE-based CFPI's applicability for identifying the flood risk for larger basins like Mahanadi. Furthermore, on integrating CFPI as a covariate in non-stationary flood frequency modeling, the study found its superior performance when compared to both stationary models and non-stationary models with time or other climate indices as covariates, thus, helping in accurate estimation of flood return levels that are very useful in the hydrological design of water resources projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution affects public health and the environment, creating great concern in developed and developing countries. In India, there are numerous reasons for air pollution, and festivals like Diwali also contribute to air contamination. Determining the polluted region using several air contaminants is significant and should be analyzed carefully. This study aims to analyze the air quality in Tamil Nadu, India, during the Diwali festival from 2019 to 2021, based on multiple air pollutants. The study models the impact of air pollution as a Multi-Attribute Decision-Making (MADM) problem. It introduces a hybrid approach, namely the Analytical Hierarchy Process-Entropy-VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (AHPEntropy-VIKOR) model, to analyze and rank the areas based on the quality of air. A combined approach of AHP and entropy is employed to determine the weights of multiple air pollutants. The VIKOR approach ranks the areas and identifies the areas with the worst air quality during the festival. The proposed model is validated by performing the Spearman's rank correlation with two existing MADM methods: Combinative Distance Based Assessment (CODAS) and Weighted Aggregates Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS). Sensitivity analysis is carried out to assess the effects of the priority weights and the dependency of the pollutants in ranking the regions. The highest air pollution level during the festival was seen in Cellisini Colony (2019), Rayapuram (2020), T. Nagar and Triplicane (2021) in their respective year. The results demonstrate the consistency and efficiency of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to develop a multi‐criteria decision support system to find out possible aquaculture sites available in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu, India. This study focuses on identifying possible aquaculture sites available in Nagapattinam district using remote sensing and GIS approaches. A geographical model has been developed to choose the probable aquaculture sites. The remote sensing and geographic information system techniques were applied to study the decisive parameters that play a vital role in the site suitability for aquaculture purposes. The chosen decisive parameters viz., normalized difference vegetation index, digital elevation model, soil type, normalized difference water index, land use land cover area and land surface temperature were subjected to the development of decision support system. Moreover, four different multi‐criteria decision support techniques viz., weighted overlay, analytical hierarchy process, fuzzy classified analytical hierarchy process and fuzzy classified weighted overlay were applied in the present study. The results obtained from the study rendered that the weighted overlay and the analytical hierarchy process outperforms the fuzzy classified models. The suitability ratio of analytical hierarchy process and weighted overlay methods were found to be 12.7 and 12.4 respectively. A total of 25 locations were selected and mapped in the Nagapattinam region and their accuracy was checked. The analytical hierarchy process results were obtained with an accuracy of 84%. Hence, the analytical hierarchy process provided better results than the weighted overlay technique. The study rendered that the area of 7.22% is highly suitable for aquaculture. These findings are essential for the development of sustainable aquaculture, assisting stakeholders in selecting suitable aquaculture sites that maximize productivity while minimizing environmental degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indo-Ganga–Brahmaputra plain is one of the world's most vulnerable areas to catastrophic flood events. The severity and frequency of floods in this region have grown dramatically during the last few decades. As a result, an authentic map providing detailed spatial information on floods is required for reducing future flood disasters. This sort of map can be an invaluable tool for displaying flood-prone areas and determining the magnitude of flood risk. The Ramganga river (~ 200 km length) flowing in the western Gangetic plain was chosen for this investigation. This river is well known for its channel movement and flood hazards. The analytical hierarchy process model in GIS ambiance was used in this work to quantify and map flood risk in the lower Ramganga river basin. Six hazard-forming factors, namely relief, distance from active channel, slope, geomorphology, rainfall, and vegetation, and seven vulnerability factors, namely population density, household density, female density, road density, land use/land cover, female literacy, and total literacy, were chosen to determine flood risk zone (FRZ). According to the findings, about 35.29 per cent of the basin's total area is in a high to very high flood risk zone, where flooding occurs at one- to three-year recurring intervals. The flood risk map has been validated using ground truth data, and the Kappa index has been computed, indicating a high degree of accuracy for the FRZ thematic classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen is the new age alternative energy source to combat energy demand and climate change. Storage of hydrogen is vital for a nation's growth. Works of literature provide different methods for storing the produced hydrogen, and the rational selection of a viable method is crucial for promoting sustainability and green practices. Typically, hydrogen storage is associated with diverse sustainable and circular economy (SCE) criteria. As a result, the authors consider the situation a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem. Studies infer that previous models for hydrogen storage method (HSM) selection (i) do not consider preferences in the natural language form; (ii) weights of experts are not methodically determined; (iii) hesitation of experts during criteria weight assessment is not effectively explored; and (iv) three-stage solution of a suitable selection of HSM is unexplored. Driven by these gaps, in this paper, authors put forward a new integrated framework, which considers double hierarchy linguistic information for rating, criteria importance through inter-criteria correlation (CRITIC) for expert weight calculation, evidence-based Bayesian method for criteria weight estimation, and combined compromise solution (CoCoSo) for ranking HSMs. The applicability of the developed framework is testified by using a case example of HSM selection in India. Sensitivity and comparative analysis reveal the merits and limitations of the developed framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the groundwater spring potential zone (GSPZ) was identified using an integrated approach of remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS), analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and fuzzy-AHP based on multicriteria decision-making (MCDM). Thus, ten associated factors with groundwater springs have been considered: slope, drainage density, lineament density, geomorphology, lithology, soil texture, land use and land cover, rainfall, groundwater level, and spring discharge. The analysis output was categorized into low, moderate, and high. The result of the AHP model shows the area under the high potential zone (16.61%), the moderate potential zone (60.42%), and the low potential zone (22.61%). The result of the fuzzy-AHP model shows that the area falls under the high potential zone (30.40%), moderate potential zone (41.29%), and low potential zone (22.61%). The validation results showed fuzzy-AHP with the area under the curve 0.806, which is slightly better than 0.779 of AHP. So, the resulting GSPZ map confirms that the thematic layers used in the study have a significant role in groundwater spring occurrence and distribution. It was recommended that any groundwater spring rejuvenation or protection activities must be implemented in medium to very high potential zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, sub-watersheds of Manjira River basin in India is assessed for necessity of soil conservation studies by incorporating morphometric, biophysical and socioeconomic parameters using ArcGIS and Generalised Watershed Loading Function (GWLF) model. Morphometric parameters include watershed aspect, linear aspect, shape aspect and landscape aspect. The biophysical parameters considered are vegetation change, erosion and sediment loadings. The socioeconomic parameters considered are population density, literacy rate and agriculture worker density. The sub-basins were prioritized applying the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) into five priority classes, namely, "Very High", "High", "Medium", "Low" and "Very Low", covering approximately 36.4%, 15.5%, 24.4%, 11.39% and 11.28% of the surveyed area. An area of 2027.629 km2 was found to be in the very high risk priority class with respect to soil conservation management to be applied in the respective sub-basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extent and impact of floods in the North Bengal plains show spatial variation from the foothill to the southern part of the floodplain. This phenomenon is further modified and accelerated by anthropogenic impacts such as bridge construction. According to the flood hazard rating chart, there is a chance of flooding both upstream and downstream of bridges, even in the far downstream area close to the confluence of the rivers Lish, Gish, and Chel with river Tista. Depth (m), velocity (m/sec) and debris factor are considered for the computation of the flood hazard rating map. This is further justified by the flood susceptibility map and validated by the Area Under the ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic curve) Curve (AUC curve). The fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FUZZY AHP) has been used to assign weights to the selected parameters for the flood susceptibility map. Both the results justify the fact that the downstream section of Chel is more affected than its upstream section. Even the extent of the flood is higher along river Chel in comparison with rivers Lish and Gish. River Gish is affected by flooding throughout its upstream and downstream reaches. However, near bridges flood rate increases and then alteration is found. Mostly agricultural lands in lower flood plains, tea gardens in alluvial fan areas and settlements are under the flood coverage area. It discloses the probable factors like distance from the foothill to the bridge, sediment grain size (D50), volume of discharge (cumec) etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flooding has become a devastating natural hazard worldwide, posing a substantial hazard to civilization and leading to socioeconomic losses. Urban flooding in India is on the rise due to unplanned urbanization, uncontrolled population growth, and changes in land use. For this analysis, the urban region of Dhanera (Gujarat state, India) has been chosen as a study area to prepare a flood hazard map in a geographic information system (GIS) environment using a multiple-criteria decision making (MCDM) technique. This study includes qualitative analysis compound factor (CF) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP), and quantitative analysis (fuzzy logic) using eight flood-affected criteria (slope, distance from the main river, land-use land cover (LULC), soil, drainage density, elevation, geomorphology, and proximity to stream confluence). MCDM techniques examined the weight of each criterion. The historical flood depth data have been collected via field visits or published articles for validation. Flood hazard maps have been classified into very high, high, moderate, low, and very low hazard zones. In each MCDM method, Ward 1 and Ward 2 are very highly and highly hazardous, respectively. The flood hazard map using fuzzy logic and inundation map matches very high, high, and very low categories. So, fuzzy logic is the best method to quantify flood hazards for Dhanera. This study provides a low-cost and time-efficient tool that assists local administration in prioritizing the preservation and control of floods, further helping the decision makers in mitigation planning to reduce damages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study is presented for the assessment of different stormwater green infrastructure (SGI) for sustainable stormwater management, both stand-alone and in combination, in the rapidly developing city of Gurugram, India. A decision-making framework was developed for ranking the SGI based on five criteria (social, economic, environmental, technical, and legal and political) encompassing two quantitative and 12 qualitative subcriteria. The assessment of the application of SGI was carried out using Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) software and an expert survey involving participants from varied areas of expertise. The survey outcome determined the criteria weight by employing the analytic hierarchy process method, where technical and social criteria were given the highest (0.37) and the lowest (0.11) weight, respectively. Further, peak flow reduction potential was the most favored subcriteria (82%), while aesthetics was the least favored (58%). The prioritization of a set of predefined alternatives was carried out using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. Results indicated that the relative closeness coefficient value for a combination of SGI, vegetated swales plus permeable pavements was 0.93, whereas for green roofs plus permeable pavements it was 0.84, and these were the most efficient alternatives to mitigate urban flooding in the city. The proposed SWMM-based TOPSIS approach can be helpful to decision makers and government bodies in the selection of SGI for urban stormwater management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides are one of the most extensive and destructive geological hazards on the globe. Tripura, a northeastern hilly state of India experiences landslides almost every year during monsoon season causing casualties and huge economic losses. Hence, it is required to assess the landslide susceptibility of the area that would support short- and long-term planning and mitigation. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) integrated with geospatial technology has been adopted for landslide susceptibility mapping in the state. Eight influencing factors such as slope, lithology, drainage density, rainfall, land use land cover, distance from rivers and roads, and soil type were selected to map the landslide susceptibility. Landslide susceptibility index (LSI) was found to vary from 6.205 during monsoon to 1.427 during post-monsoon season. The LSI values were classified into very high, high, moderate, low, and very low susceptibility. Landslide susceptibility maps for three different seasons, namely, pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon, were prepared. The study showed that most of the areas of the state come under very low to moderate landslide susceptibility zones. Around 73.2% area of the state is found to be under low landslide-susceptible zones during the pre-monsoon season, around 62% area is prone to landslides with moderate susceptibility during the monsoon season, and 68.5% area comes under landslides with low susceptibility zones during the post-monsoon season. The results of this study may be referred to the engineers and planners for the assessment, control, and mitigation of landslides and the development of basic infrastructure in the state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green hydrogen, a carbon-neutral fuel, has the potential to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas and plays a vital role in mitigating climate change. Its potential is immense in renewable-rich Asian economies, however, its production is yet to start with key factors such as safety parameters, resources, proper government incentives, and public acceptability affecting its optimal generation. This study employs three multi-criteria decision-making approach like analytic hierarchy process (AHP), decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), and Fuzzy-AHP followed by the sensitivity analysis to identify and prioritize the robustness of the five primary potentials (social, political, economic, technical, and environmental). Subsequently, categorized into 22 sub-potentials of green hydrogen and ideal renewable resource for the sustainable development objective of India. The results of the DEMATEL analysis suggest that the social is the key predictor and the last one is Technical. The Fuzzy-TOPSIS method suggests that solar is the best renewable energy resource followed by wind, small hydro, and biomass energy. Hence, the government's intervention and robust policy frameworks are required to increase its production with special emphasis on cost considering solar energy. The finding of this study will guide the governments, energy sector players, producers, environmental advocacy groups, and users to make a strategic decision regarding the choice of the most viable source of renewable energy to achieve the targets of sustainable development Goals (SDGs-7). • Potentials for Green Hydrogen (GH) in India. • Source of Renewable energy for Green Hydrogen production. • Integrated framework for prioritizing the GH potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the obstacles that inhibit research productivity in India. Despite being the second-most populous nation globally, India lags in global benchmarks for research productivity and quality. The study aims to identify and categorize the barriers to research productivity among business faculty in India, as well as offer practical insights and a way forward. Twenty specific barriers were identified through a literature review and expert opinion and subsequently analyzed through the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) to prioritize the critical/strongest barriers, with a sensitivity analysis performed to reveal the stability of its rankings. The FAHP results indicated that elimination of personal barriers should receive the highest priority, followed by institutional , psychological , social , and industrial. The results from the sensitivity analysis confirm the positive ripple effect of mitigating personal barriers on other sets of barriers. Additionally, this study draws upon the experiences and insights shared by expert respondents, shedding light on effective strategies to manage and mitigate these barriers in order to enhance the production of quality research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to identify potential sites for agricultural use in the state of Manipur of north east India by employing the analytic hierarchy process in a geographic information system environment in conjunction with the use of remote sensing and soil data. Within the analytic hierarchy process, each terrain variable underwent a pairwise comparison and criteria weights were assigned according to their relative importance. Eight variables were selected and used in land suitability analysis for agriculture. It was found that Manipur had 57% (12,660 km2) of its total geographical area suitable for agriculture. However, 8126 km2 (37%) and 1374 km2 (6%) of the total geographical area was currently and permanently unsuitable land respectively. The distribution of suitable land varied greatly, with highly, moderately and marginally suitable land covering only 8%, 16% and 33% respectively of the total geographical area. The highly suitable agricultural land is predominantly concentrated in the Imphal valley (70%), though 90% of moderately suitable and 96% of marginally suitable land also exist in the hills. The hilly areas constitute 96% and 97% respectively of currently unsuitable and permanently unsuitable land in the state. Suitable land comprises of land with low to medium altitude, gentle to moderate slopes, soil of fine or acceptable quality, and with minimal flood risk. Unsuitable lands tend to be diametrically opposite to these attributes with steep hill slopes. The nature of distribution of land suitability types influences the agricultural pattern in Manipur. Agriculture in the hill areas comprises mainly of shifting cultivation on hill slopes, whereas in the valley region it is irrigated and permanent. This analysis of Manipur has a wider applicability since the shifting cultivation-irrigated agriculture combination is similar to that which exists across much of the highlands of South East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution exerts a profound impact on both public health and the natural environment. In India, festivals like Diwali also contaminate the air by releasing pollutants into the atmosphere. It is essential to identify the most polluted region by estimating these pollutants. Since air quality assessment involves multiple air pollutants, there may be inherent uncertainty associated with data. This study employs a fuzzy Multi Attribute Decision Making (MADM) framework fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process-Entropy-fuzzy VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (FAHP-Entropy-FVIKOR) to model the impact of air pollution as a decision-making problem to address the uncertainty and assess the air quality during the Diwali festival from 2019 to 2021 in Tamil Nadu, India. An integrated weighting approach is utilised to determine the weights of the air pollutants using a fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process and Entropy methods. Mainly, the fuzzy VIKOR approach is employed to rank the polluted regions. The validation of the proposed model is established through a comparative analysis using Spearman's rank correlation with two other existing fuzzy MADM methods. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to evaluate the influence of priority weights and the interdependence of pollutants in determining regional rankings. The results conclude that a strong positive correlation is attained between the proposed and existing methods and the highest levels of air pollution during the festival period are observed in Gandhi Nagar (2019), Rayapuram (2020), T. Nagar, Sowcarpet and Triplicane (2021) in their respective years. These findings substantiate the consistency and effectiveness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, ethanol is recognised as a fuel for its potential to provide environmental and energy security-related benefits to the country. So, an Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP) has been initiated by the Government of India to harvest the benefits of ethanol. However, India has consistently failed to achieve the blending target, which indicates the necessity to recognise the barriers and drivers of the programme. In this present study, an integrated methodology has been proposed based on a hybrid Delphi-PESTEL (political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal) and Fuzzy-AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) analysis to identify and prioritise the barriers and drivers associated with the Indian ethanol blending programme. 25 PESTEL indicators have been identified, quantified, and ranked according to the opinion of the experts using the Fuzzy-AHP analysis. Further, the sensitivity of the Fuzzy-AHP result has been checked. The study shows that "Insufficient infrastructure" is the most significant barrier for the EBP while "Energy security of the country" is the most crucial driver of the programme. The present study is expected to help policymakers achieve the ethanol blending target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]