Maintenance Prioritisation of Irrigation Infrastructure Using a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Methodology under a Fuzzy Environment

Abstract

The aging infrastructure and rising demand in the irrigation industry as a result of population growth have increased maintenance works in recent years. The most efficient asset maintenance practice is proactive. However, while a limited budget and an increase in aging infrastructure has made proactive asset maintenance challenging, customers still expect quality service, and contemporary challenges such as climate change and the competitive market further add to the existing pressure on asset owners. In this context, the present work has the primary objective of developing a novel, accurate, efficient and straightforward methodology for measuring assessment criteria weights and using them to prioritise assets for maintenance. For this aim, fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods are developed for the optimisation of asset maintenance prioritisation. Using objective and subjective data, the proposed method will be utilised to prioritise six irrigation channels in Northern Victoria, Australia, for maintenance. To verify the efficiency and accuracy of the developed MCDM method, the prioritised channels are validated by comparing against their existing physical condition. Results prove the ability of the proposed method in distinguishing and taking into account the differences between the channels (in terms of their size, physical condition, financial impacts, etc.) in prioritisation for maintenance. This study will also provide suggestions to improve the existing asset maintenance prioritisation methods in practice