Multi-Criteria Pressure Management Optimization for Non-Revenue Water Reduction in a Semi-Arid Metropolitan Water System

İngilizce (OpenAlex)

Escalating water scarcity and tightening regulatory targets have intensified the need for systematic nonrevenue water (NRW) reduction strategies in metropolitan utilities. This study develops and validates an integrated hydraulic-multi-criteria decision framework for pressure-reducing valve (PRV) set-point optimization in a large-scale semi-arid water distribution network. The methodology combines calibrated dual-platform hydraulic modelling (EPANET 2.2 and MsSu), International Water Association (IWA)-standard water balance analysis, and group-based multi-criteria decision analysis using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The framework was applied to a metropolitan system in semi-arid Türkiye serving 2.32 million inhabitants. Twelve scenarios, including the baseline and PRV settings between 25 and 35 m, were evaluated using six criteria: average pressure, minimum nodal pressure, current annual real losses, recoverable real losses, infrastructure leakage index, and minimum night flow. Results show that a 30 m setting maximizes leakage reduction but approaches minimum pressure limits, while PRV = 35 m provides the best overall balance across criteria.