Water transfer projects by open channels or under pressure are among the strategies used globally to address water shortages in arid and semi-arid regions. These plans must be submitted to economic, environmental, and social scrutiny in addition to technical reasons. The environmental-technical assessment of the plans and the ranking of their execution priority may be carried out in different ways. The ability to display and analyze data to aid in decision-making is one of the most significant applications and capabilities of GIS. The finest choice or alternatives might be shown after choosing from a variety of possibilities. Different approaches have been put out to analyze different project criteria, allowing for the integration of technical, environmental, social, and other elements. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP)is a strategic decision-making method that was utilized in this study to determine the optimal path for the water transfer pipeline. In an effort to determine the optimal path for the transmission line, questionnaires were created, weighted with these criteria based on the views of experts, and then the various layers of these criteria were compared to one another using the overlapping approach.
Research Article
A Decision Making Approach For Water Transfer Systems by Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and GIS
https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2598707/v1
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License
Journal Publication
published 16 Aug, 2023
You are reading this latest preprint version
Water Transfer
Decision Making
Pressured Systems
AHP
GIS
Water consumption has grown due to the world's fast population development, leading to a water deficit that has placed stress on many countries (Qasemi et al. 2023). Water Transferring water from wet regions (basins)and basins to dry areas and basins is known as inter-basin water transfer, and it is one of the common ways that have been utilized in the past to make up for water shortages in Iran and throughout the globe (Saboktakin et al. 2022). Due to the uneven temporal and spatial distribution of rainfall, urban population growth, and agricultural, and industrial development, there is an increase in water demand and consumption throughout the world, including such as the United States, China, India, and Iran. As a result, water is moved from one basin to another. Providing water is one of the fundamental strategies to achieve this balance and a more even distribution of resources and demands.
Given the issue of water scarcity, Iran has experienced over the last twenty years and will experience in the future, it is essential to give the necessary tasks. Between the solutions, the desalination of seawater is in progress in the world. In this way, water is compelled to sweeten and utilize seawater. Therefore, fresh water is transferred through transmission lines for consumption locations after seawater has been desalinated, either under pressure or by gravity. Given that pipelines are the most reliable and secure way to move liquids across vast distances, as well as in contrast, the choice of the best route is influenced by a variety of variables that vary depending on the location and situation. This makes it possible to apply a multi-criteria decision-making index like the hierarchical analysis analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method (Khalili et al. 2021). The goal of a hierarchical analysis AHP process method is to streamline and accelerate the decision-making process by breaking down complex and unstructured situations into their component parts.
By arranging these parts in a hierarchy, calculating each variable's numerical value, assessing its relative importance, and integrating different points of view, it is possible to identify which variable will have the greatest impact on the situation's outcomes. Additionally, in the course of performing a hierarchical analysis, options are prioritized according to their criteria and weight, and a pairwise comparison is made between them according to each criterion. This process is not only limited to the options' scores (in each parameter without applying a pairwise comparison with other options), The weight of the index and alternatives is then determined by adding the weights of the components from lower and higher levels of the hierarchy, and the options with the greatest weight will ultimately get the highest priority. Numerous studies have been conducted recently to determine the world's best transmission route utilizing the Multi-Criteria Decision-Making index (Davarpanah and Vahidnia 2022; Nataraj 2005). (Dedemen 2013). Additionally, assessments indicate that the employment of models is one of the extensively used ways. The study conducted by L. Wang et al. in 2022 to determine the best path for water lines may be used as a reference for decision-making in the GIS geographic information system. In order for the water transmission pipe to be effective, a wide range of evaluation criteria, including technical, economic, political, and social parameters, can be used to choose the best path for the line. In this study, the technical and social aspects of the water transmission lines have been investigated. The next phase involves gathering the necessary data from the research region, including statistics, photographs, and maps. Following data analysis utilizing the AHP hierarchical approach and the GIS geographic information system, the best transmission path is then chosen.
2.1. The study area
According to this report, the desalination of water from the Persian Gulf would be used to deliver 650 million cubic meters of water annually to southeast Iranian enterprises in Kerman province. The origin and destinations of the water transfer are shown in Figure (1).
Figure 1: Study area
2.2 Multivariate evaluation
2.2.1- Determination of effective criteria in evaluation
Identifying the significant and relevant factors is one of the fundamental elements in the multi-criteria assessment to choose the best water pipeline route (Shirzad and Safari 2019). When assessing the various transmission line packages, numerous types of variables will be used (pipe-channel-tunnel). Several criteria were selected based on national and international standards to determine the best route for the water pipeline in order to choose the efficient criterion in the multi-criteria assessment. Additionally, the selection of the factors involved in determining the best route for the water transmission line is done based on the Delphi method after looking at the variables and criteria in order to include the views of experts and researchers. The choice of knowledgeable specialists on the subject being studied is the first stage in the Delphi method's execution. About 45 professionals in the field of water transmission lines were chosen for this project at the level of academics, consulting engineers, operators, and experts. The creation of a legitimate and adequate questionnaire is the second stage in putting the Delphi method into practice. Based on this, a questionnaire with tables was created to screen and choose key factors that would have the most influence on the best location for the water pipeline. Excel software was used to statistically analyze the questionnaire that was gathered. The weighted average of each variable is offered based on the views of experts, and the selection of variables is based on the total of expert opinions, in accordance with the project's objective, which is to generate indicators for the selection of the water transmission line route. There are five categories of economic, sociocultural, environmental, technical, and infrastructural factors that may be used to prioritize the location of the water transmission pipeline.
2.2.2 AHP hierarchical analysis process
2.2.2.1 Weight calculation in AHP
Two categories of relative and ultimate weight should be distinguished throughout the hierarchical analysis process. While the absolute weight is the final rank of each choice, which is derived by adding the relative weights and ultimately indicates the greatest option, the relative weight is acquired by comparing the criteria or alternatives together. Once every relative weight has been determined, it is simple the ultimate weight was discovered. In a hierarchical analysis method, the total product of the relevance of the criteria in the weight of the possibilities yields the ultimate weight of each option (Myeong, Jung, and Lee 2018).2-2-2-2- Calculation of incompatibility rate
If comparisons are done in pairs throughout the hierarchical analysis process, the comparison matrix will be inconsistent. A hierarchical analysis process's complete inconsistency may be established utilizing mathematical correlations. Generally, if the consistency rate is more than 0.1, it is advised to change the judgments (Hammami et al. 2019).
2.2.2.2 Group AHP
There may be more than one decision maker in a choice, but only one performs all pairwise comparisons for criteria and alternatives when using the AHP approach. In this situation, various matrices of pairwise comparisons must take into account the opinions of all decision-makers. The views of each decision maker on each pair are organized into a matrix for this reason. Then, to collect the opinions of all the decision makers in a matrix, the geometric mean can be used for the elements of 
matrix, in the form of equation 1 (Rios and Duarte 2021).
The above equation indicates the number of decision-makers. If each decision-maker requires to have a greater effect on votes in terms of his expertise and responsibility, weight can be given to his opinions, as a result of which equations 2-3 are applied (Dos Santos et al. 2019).
While each decision maker's compatibility rate is less than 0.1, their views are taken into account when making decisions as a group. On the other hand, the goal of group talks should be to prevent too many disputes between various viewpoints by bringing the ideas of diverse decision-makers closer together. The GIS environment was used to assess the most efficient path once the questionnaires were prepared, the results were analyzed, and the criteria were established. One of the key characteristics of GIS systems is their ability to do analyses. In a GIS system, the user may select a few restrictions to obtain responses from the system that correspond to his request (S. Zhang et al. 2021). One of the reasons these systems are suggested as decision support systems is because they provide numerous question and answer capabilities in GIS contexts. In addition to having a receiving system, the user may offer replies in the form of geographical displays, descriptive tables, graphs, statistical charts, etc. (Amini et al. 2020; Tashayo et al. 2020).3-
Discussion:
The table of opinions, based on the summation of the opinions of experts, finally, the variables of choosing the optimal route were chosen according to Table 1.
The steps of conducting this research are shown step by step in Figure 2 for better understanding.
3.1. The weight of the criteria (results from the questionnaire)
Using the Delphi technique and the input of experts and specialists, the criteria, sub-criteria, and choices were scored and their significance coefficients were calculated. For this, a questionnaire was created first, and then the results of each level of the model hierarchy, including the two-by-two comparison scores of the criterion, the sub-criteria, and the criteria compared to the guilds or the same alternatives, were calculated. The results of the geometric mean calculation input into the Expert Choice program are shown in figures (3) and (4).
In Figure 3.a, the tree diagram of the criteria and sub-criteria of multi-criteria evaluation is depicted. As shown in this diagram, the purpose of the evaluation is to identify the optimal path, which has been determined through paired comparisons to determine the preference of the criteria and sub-criteria. 3-b these values reflect the geometric mean of the surveys, compared pairwise. Considering that this value is smaller than 0.1, the inconsistency index of paired comparisons is 0.07, as shown in the preceding graph. Figure 4-a displays the results of the evaluation of the criteria; based on the results of the social effects and political requirements, the most important criterion for choosing the optimal route of the water transmission pipeline, according to the experts, is the impact of social effects and political requirements. The political requirements for determining the water pipeline's route have been estimated at 22.4%.
This clarifies the necessity of studying the social effects and taking into account social requirements. Geology and morphology were selected as the second criterion for determining the ideal path for the water transmission line, after consideration of social and political factors. In the examination of the questionnaire responses, the influence of this criteria was determined to be 16.1%. Passive defense at 14.3%, structural interference and land ownership, as well as hydrology and hydrogeology criteria at 11.2%, exploitation at 7.8%, hydraulic characteristics of the route at 5.9%, access road at 4.9%, environmental effects with 3.9%, and technical characteristics of pipes with 2.6%, are ranked as the top priorities for selecting the optimal route of the water transmission pipeline. Figure 4-b depicts the findings of the examination of sub-criteria of geology and morphology.
As shown in this figure, active faults have been included as a priority sub-criteria of geology and geomorphology for determining the ideal route for a water transmission pipeline. This sub-criteria, with a weight of 48.3%, is the most significant sub-criteria for selecting the ideal route for the transmission line, followed by geotechnics, topography, and soil science, each with a weight of 8.8%. This is water. The determined value of the inconsistency index in this assessment is 0.005, which is acceptable. Figure 4-c depicts the outcome of a pairwise comparison of hydrology and hydrogeology sub-criteria. According to this figure, the groundwater level is the most significant characteristic, as determined by the experts who participated in this study. The objective of the research is to select the optimal route for the water transmission pipeline; this criterion accounts for 59.4% of the research's weight. The interference with surface water and the depth of the ice is the next most important criteria for selecting the pipeline's route, with respective weights of 24.9% and 15.5%. During the evaluation of the hydrology and hydrogeology sub-criteria, an inconsistency index of 0.05 was determined. Figure 4-d shows the outcomes of the assessment and pairwise comparisons of the technical requirements of the pipe sub-criteria. In this study, the length of the pipe contributes the most to the selection of the pipeline route at 52.8%, followed by the kind of pipe at 33.3% and the diameter of the pipe at 14%. This assessment produced an inconsistency index of 0.05, which is an acceptable number. Figure 3-e shows the outcome of a pairwise assessment of the sub-criteria of the track's hydraulic properties allocated to itself, the pipe depth is also the second highest priority at 33.3% .
3.2. Evaluation of criteria using GIS
3.2.1- The height and slope of the area
Based on Figure 5(a), about 28% of the entire path has a slope of less than 3%, 13% has a slope between 3% and 7%, 12% has a slope between 7% and 15%, 17% has a slope between 15% and 30%, and 30% has a slope between 30%. is A great section of the areas (about 30%) has a slope of more than 30%, which means that these lands are unsuitable for most uses and are not included in the priorities of the pipeline passing through these areas. Based on the priorities raised regarding the slope and the places that have a slope it is beneficial for passing the water transmission line pipe. The weighted layer based on importance (places with less slope = more importance and places with higher slope = less importance) was presented using AHP plugin in ArcGIS software in Figure 5(b).
3.2.2-Geotechnics (soil mechanics)
In order to conduct engineering activities on the ground, it is often important to understand how the geological environment operates and consists (Hammami et al. 2019). Investigating the influence of this environment and its features on engineering structures may give a viable method for reducing or eliminating potential expenses. Geology divides rocks into three categories: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary (P. Zhang et al. 2022). This classification may represent in part the physical and mechanical properties of rocks based on their general features. The majority of the earth's surface is covered by sedimentary rocks, the largest of these three types. Due to the prevalence of these sorts of stones in engineering activities, they provide more information.
Thus, the basalt and metamorphic rock beds take up about 17% of the total area. The combined percentage of marl, sandstone and red conglomerate beds is about 11%. With the investigations done on land suitability, rotted iron ore is also put in a relatively unsuitable state for areas related to construction. Nearly 8% of the area is taken up by this area. The tiny travertine bed is regarded as relatively inappropriate in terms of the suitability of the lands for geological engineering. Additionally, the moly formation and the conglomerate, limestone, and bed combination take up about 38% of the space. Alluvial deposits make up about 18% of the area due to their bed, which is generally suitable for engineering geology. The majority of structures can be built on the alluvial barracks' (terrace) bed. About 7.5 percent of the surface of the study area is taken up by this bed. The materials in this part show that the lands that are inappropriate for building and pipe passage, such as alluvial deposits, have the lowest score and significance in the weight layer, compared to the lands that are, like alluvial defense sediments. The fifth map of the geological weighted map was displayed. Under their surface, there are relatively thick layers of sand and gravel, which are given the most weight and points in the weighted layer.
3.2.3 Natural risks
To study the optimal route of the pipeline, based on the scope and level of studies, two sub-criteria of the distance from the fault and the flood risk zones were studied.
3.2.3.1 Earthquake risk zones
Since the requirement to decrease the impacts of earthquakes in terms of human casualties and economic losses is regarded to be in line with the accurate and comprehensive identification of seismic sources and tectonic investigation (Dzhurik et al. 2021; Slejko et al. 2021), studying the optimal path of water transfer pipe from the south of the country to Kerman province was made based on the distance from the fault.
A number of earthquakes have occurred in the study region, one of which being the Bam earthquake on January 5, 2012, with a magnitude of 6.6 on the Richter scale, according to the examination of the earthquakes that have happened there. Where the faults exist in the research region The Country’s Geological and Mineral Exploration Organization is shown in Figure based on the geological map of Hormozgan Province and Kerman Province, size 1:250000. (8-A). The research area's active faults' extent and bounds are shown on the map (8-b). Due to the compressive character of the faults in this region, a 700-meter boundary in the outer wall is taken into consideration to assess the suitability of the routes in the research area in terms of distance from the fault. Has been removed the development of significant structures is not encouraged since faulting and sub-displacements are likely in this region. As a result, the first group is divided into those with a distance of fewer than 700 meters. The second group is divided into those who are more than 2500 meters from the fault, and this comprises unfit paths put in place.
3.2.3.2 Flood zones
Given the high costs of flood damage, it is imperative to lessen the aforementioned losses via management and construction considerations, including the identification of appropriate applications in flood-prone locations (Blist'an and Pacaiova 2011). The regions that are vulnerable to floods might often be kilometers wide. Consequently, it is important to establish the borders of the flooded regions through in-depth research (Hua et al. 2020). Any building work in flooded regions has to take the potential danger into consideration.
It has been agreed to define the usage compatible with the river's border after assessing the quality of the river's boundary. The uses compatible with river boundaries and the separation of each of the above boundaries from the river bed have been described in three levels, which are specified in the table below, in accordance with the guidelines for determining the quality of surface waters that were approved by the Council of Ministers in 2012. Map 9 River boundaries and flood zones depict the catchment in the study area. In accordance with standards, infrastructure facilities, such as the main water transmission lines, must be at least 20 to 75 meters away from flood zones; distances greater than this are given priority during implementation and route selection. The least weighted harams on this map are those that are smaller than 20 meters.
3.2.3 Surface water in the pipeline route
The barriers in the pipeline path are one of the crucial variables that expose pipes to risk and damage. One of the major hazards in the way of water pipes is roads and rivers (Y. X. Wang et al. 2018). There are both seasonal and permanent divisions for the canals themselves. The water transmission pipelines are crossed over or under rivers using methods A and B, respectively, when rivers are present. As previously noted, there are two reasons why the junction with surface water (rivers and canals) is significant and desired: implementation issues and implementation costs. For this reason, it is attempted to guarantee that the chosen route has the fewest intersections with surface waters while determining the best path for the water transmission pipeline. The map of the rivers and canals in the research region is shown in Figure 10. (Hormozgan and Kerman provinces). The major rivers are sought to be interfered with as little as possible while building the best water pipeline route.
3.2.4 Groundwater level and depth of frost
Among other things that are efficient to selec5t the pipeline route, we can note the groundwater level and frost depth, high groundwater level, and high frost depth will both increase project implementation costs (Chai et al. 2020; Jin et al. al. 2010), based on the study area of this study which is indicated in the map below, the predominant climate of the study area is dry, the depth of frost is not regarded as an efficient factor in selecting the optimal route of the water transmission pipeline.
3.2.5 Environmental sensitive centers
In assessing the viability of land for the creation of different functional regions, such as the path of a water transmission pipeline, environmental and ecological concerns are among the most significant considerations to consider (Ouadah, Touhami, and Ibtiouen 2016). The conservation of these places, in terms of both flora and wildlife, is crucial and must be included in route selection studies. There are instances of the harmful consequences that water transmission line developments have had on the environment.
The study area's protected zones are shown on Map 12-A. According to the protected areas of the researched region, the emphasis is on the locations outside of these lands since they have a lower value for the passage of pipes. The regions beyond this border are given precedence for route selection, followed by the areas within their 1000-meter boundary, which has the lowest weight. The taboos associated with these sites are weighted in figure 12-b of the protected regions.
3.2.6. Land ownership
One element that might impede the completion of the project while determining the route of the water transmission lines is interference with the lands that have owners. In these situations, crossing these properties can sometimes be extremely difficult, therefore minimal interference with the lands is preferable. An accurate knowledge of the examined region and its usage will assist to make a choice because it has the best alternative for the passage of water transmission lines (Coleman 2019; Iwu and Okoh 2019). The lands and land uses of the research region have been examined in Figure 12. This map displays both agricultural areas and major population centers (cities, villages).
3.2.7 Access to transportation
Moving away from the current road network raises the expense of setting up various infrastructure facilities. However, there are drawbacks to being too near to these networks. It goes without saying that lowering the distance between the property and any kind of road improves its worth for infrastructure facility growth (Dinu 2018). Additionally, access to higher-class roads (such as motorways and highways) is valued more highly than access to lower-class roads. A range surrounding the roads should not be used for building or the passage of utilities, even if the value of land rises as the distance from the roads decreases. This is required to safeguard the lines physically and to avoid any form of pollution or damage. The lowest points have been allocated to these limitations, which are regarded as the roads' official bounds. The widths of the roads vary depending on their nature. The categorization of the roads in the research region is shown on the map below.
3.2.8 Social effects and political requirements
Because of the imbalanced distribution of water resources in relation to population growth and the development of agricultural and industrial activities in the nation, the water crisis has worsened such that the northern and western half of the country's surface (which has enough water and occasionally has excess water) and the southern and eastern half (which has a lack of rain and water) (Mohammadi, 2021). Lack of access to water sources has been one of the key drivers of migration to the periphery of cities among the many other reasons for evacuation and migration from small towns and villages to large cities and metropolises. The areas and peripheries of large cities, which are less likely to experience the issue of water scarcity, are the primary destinations of many of these migrations (Khalili, Montaseri, and Motaghi 2021). For instance, a sizeable portion of the Sistan region's people fled to Golestan province and Gorgan city as a result of the region's protracted droughts in recent decades. In addition to a rise in marginalization issues, which leads to the appearance of bogus employment, this extensive wave of migration and village evacuation to regions less impacted by water issues may also increase criminality, which is a significant contributor to the difficulties. The country's largest cities are among them. The cities of origin and destination may face significant issues and difficulties if the political-social implications of massive water transfer projects are not researched and taken into account. Other neighboring and non-adjacent cities and basins engaged in and not participating in these basins will not be immune from the social implications of the fast execution of these plans, despite the fact that these difficulties and challenges cannot simply affect the cities of origin and destination (Delucchi and Jacobson 2011).
3.2.9 Hydraulic specifications of the track
The hydraulic calculations of the route and the depth of the pipe are two useful sub-criteria of the hydraulic features of the route for the selection of the best route for water transmission lines. In order to increase or decrease the operating expenses of water transmission lines, hydraulic calculations and pipe depth should be taken into account throughout the engineering design process (Chicherin, Zhuikov, and Junussova 2022; Hong et al. 2019).
3.2.10 The necessity of easy operation and increasing the life of pipelines
In selecting the pipeline route, regarding the efficient parameters in easy operation will increase the quality of the project and increase the life of pipelines.
3.2.11 Technical specifications of pipes( Type of pipe)
While selecting the right pipe type will help determine the transmission lines' best course, if the product is of poor quality it can result in capital loss, shorten the project's usable life, and raise maintenance and operating expenses. Transmission lines' pipe materials are chosen based on the properties of the soil and water. Water's physical and chemical qualities have a long-lasting impact on the inner surface of the pipe since it is constantly in touch with it. The pipes' outside surface is likewise impacted by the soil. High levels of sulfate in the soil may lead to corrosion on the pipe's outer surface, particularly in GRP pipes. Pipes made of steel, ductile iron, asbestos cement, reinforced concrete, GRP or GREV, and polyethylene are often used in water transmission lines. 2007 (Al-Jasser). The physical and chemical qualities of water must be taken into account while choosing the kind of pipe in addition to economic factors to guarantee the pipes' usable life. The number of suspended particles in the water, which is determined by the TSS parameter or turbidity, is one of the most crucial elements. The more suspended particles there are in the water, the more wear and tear there is on the pipe's inner surface. This causes the pipe to become rougher, which increases the pressure drop. The greater the velocity gradient in the pipeline, the more issues it creates, including increased corrosion, increased pipe permissible stress, and increased relative pipe roughness that is communicated through the lines. The greater the TDS parameter's value, which measures the water salinity level, the more corrosion or sedimentation problems there are within the pipe's surface. Certain pipes, such as polyethylene ones, have higher corrosion resistance than others in water transmission lines (Yu et al. 2022).
3.2. 12. Non-operating protection
Urban water transmission pipes are vulnerable to both natural and man-made dangers since they are one of the main thoroughfares. The best way to implement piping is to pass the pipes underground or through natural features of the ground, and in order to deal with threats and reduce vulnerability, passive defense engineering considerations should be taken into account during the design and implementation of urban water pipelines. These considerations include: a) choosing the pipeline route based on the territory's defense plan and based on the minimum vulnerability against potential threats; b) the best way to implement piping is to pass the pipes underground or through natural features of the ground; and c Water delivery to the city may be accomplished through a number of channels, with the following precautions being taken: 1) keeping a safe distance from gas transmission pipes and electricity transmission lines; 2) keeping a suitable distance from other crucial infrastructure like as The gas station served as one of the refinery's most basic necessities.
3.3. The proposed routes of the water transmission line in this research
The cost-distance layer has been created after generating the weighted layers for the assessment criteria, as shown in Figure 15. Each cell of the production map has a weight that is acquired by adding the weights of the production layers from the previous sections.
Choosing the optimal route for the water transmission line is one of the most difficult tasks that has to be done by engineers and managers of such projects. In this study, various technical, environmental, social, economic, hydrological, topographic, etc. variables should be investigated. In the conducted research, the aim was to find the best route for a pressurized transmission line from the water extraction site in the Persian Gulf in the south of Iran to the neighboring provinces. Choosing the best route that can meet the needs of the project according to the priority and importance of the variables has a direct impact on the cost of its construction, and any inappropriate route without considering the criteria of impact on the transmission line can cause a drastic increase in costs of the project. As a result, in order to obtain the best path of the transmission line, by using the experience of using the AHP hierarchical analysis model and GIS layers, it was tried to compare the best optimal route(s) based on the important and effective criteria in the transmission line. . To find the most important criteria, first a questionnaire was prepared and a large number of experts (about 50 people) were asked to introduce the most important effective criteria in the transmission line from the technical, social, economic, and environmental point of view. Then, by giving weight to these criteria and comparing them in Expert Choice software with checking the inconsistency rate of the weights, the appropriate weights of the criteria were obtained. Finally, by overlapping the layers of the effective variables in GIS, two optimal paths were obtained. The selection of the final route can be determined in the next stage by field visits and considering the cost of construction between these two routes.
The conducted research showed that this method is very suitable and practical for identifying the best route for water transmission lines, and it can also be used for other transmission lines such as oil and gas lines, and power lines.
Funding
The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.
Competing Interests
The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.
Author Contributions
This paper is the output of a research thesis by my students. All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by [Reza Khalili], [ Behrooz Gholami] and [Soroush Motiee].
The first draft of the manuscript was written by Homayoun Motiee] and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
The authors give permission to the Water Resources Management for publishing their research in form of the paper.
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Table 1: Water transmission pipeline evaluation criteria
Table 2. Characteristics of the selected routes to check the optimal route of the water pipeline
