Evaluating the socioeconomic and environmental sustainability of barrages using analytical hierarchy process with a rating approach

Assessing the environmental sustainability and economic viability of barrage infrastructure is a critical challenge in water resource management. To address this, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) approach was applied to develop a novel model for three barrages in Punjab, Pakistan: Jinnah, Khanki, and Rasul. The model incorporates three impacts, nine parameters, and twenty-seven sub-parameters within a structured decision tree to rank the three alternatives (Barrages). Quantitative weights were assigned using pairwise comparisons to impacts, parameters, and sub-parameters. As a result, socio-economic impacts received the highest priority (64.10%), followed by environmental (28%) and other impacts (7.41%). Jinnah Barrage ranked first among alternatives with a sustainability score of 0.426, due to superior performance in irrigation potential, renewable energy generation, water quality, low carbon emissions, and recreational value. The proposed model provides a structured framework for the future design of barrages to enhance their environmental resilience and optimize socio-economic benefits.