Interactive fuzzy optimization for an economic and environmental balance in a river system

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Operations Research
• Water Resource Management

Background:

• River basin management faces challenges with imprecise data and multi-objective optimization.
• Traditional methods struggle to incorporate decision-maker preferences and economic factors effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a sustainable water quality management strategy for river basins.
• To adapt and apply an interactive fuzzy approach for multi-objective optimization problems.
• To integrate economic and environmental factors into water quality planning.

Main Methods:

• Modified Sakawa's interactive fuzzy approach (1983) for water quality management.
• Incorporated decision-maker and analyst views on river water quality, assimilative capacity, and wastewater treatment cost.
• Applied the methodology to a case study in the Tou-Chen River Basin, Taiwan.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the capability of the fuzzy interactive multi-objective optimization approach.
• Successfully integrated economic and environmental factors into the management plan.
• Showcased the approach's suitability for river basin water quality management through trade-off procedures.

Conclusions:

• The fuzzy interactive approach provides a robust framework for sustainable water quality management.
• Effective trade-offs between economic and environmental considerations are achievable.
• The method is suitable for complex river basin optimization problems with vague information.