INTEGRATION OF DELPHI TECHNIQUE AND ANALYTICAL HIERARCHY PROCESS IN SELECTING THE TYPE OF DAM: A CASE STUDY OF BUNGOH CATCHMENT IN SARAWAK, MALAYSIA

Dams are built ancient structures, which serve to retain, collect, and store water. Over the years, the function of dams has been diversified to flood prevention, water level regulation, and even recreational purposes. However, selecting a suitable type of dam based on the characteristics of a potential dam site is consistently a concern in the preliminary construction stage. Therefore, this study attempts to integrate the Delphi technique and Analytical Hierarchy Process (D-AHP) to develop a set of influential attributes, which assists in the selection of a suitable type of dam for the potential dam site. These influential attributes are determined based on comprehensive literature reviews and corroborated by twelve experts from relevant fields through three rounds of interviews. Using the Delphi technique, 9 important criteria and 25 sub-criteria are finalized. Expert’s judgments are measured through pairwise comparisons to derive eigenvectors. Based on prioritisation of AHP, the gravity dam scores the highest total weight, and is selected as the optimal type of dam for Bungoh catchment. The selection of the gravity dam is quantified based on the developed influential attributes, which include environmental criteria, social criteria, and engineering criteria. Essentially, the selection takes the characteristics of the potential dam site into account during the pairwise comparison process. In this context, the developed set of influential attributes could objectively assist related organizations in their decision making process. These attributes are also applicable in the preliminary stage of any dam development project.[1]  This work is supported by Exploratory Research Grant Scheme (ERGS/1/11/STWN/UPM/02/8-5527027)