Ranking Irrigation Planning Alternatives Using Data Envelopment Analysis

Application of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) as a Multicriterion Decision Making (MCDM) methodology is tested for Sri Ram Sagar Project, Andhra Pradesh, India to select the suitable irrigation planning alternative. Three different criterion functions of DEA, namely minimizing deviation variable D <Subscript> j </Subscript> (Min,D <Subscript> D </Subscript> <Subscript> j </Subscript>), minimizing maximum deviation (Minmax), and minimizing the sum of deviations ∑D <Subscript> j </Subscript> (Minsum) are applied for the same DEA constraint set. These criterion functions are evaluated under the framework of Multi Objective Linear Programming (MOLP). Highest efficiency rated irrigation planning alternative is chosen to be the best for each of the above criterion functions. The results are compared with those obtained by discrete MCDM methods, PROMETHEE and EXPROM. It is found that ranks obtained by DEA are reasonably close to those obtained by the above mentioned MCDM methods, PROMETHEE and EXPROM. Copyright Springer Science + Business Media, Inc. 2006