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Volume 15, Issue 4 (Winter-In Press 2026)
Disaster Prev. Manag. Know. 2026, 15(4): 2-2 |
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Darvishi H, Rezaeian J, Shirazi B. A Multi-Objective Optimization Model for Natural Disaster Waste Clean-Up with a Multimodal Transportation Approach. Disaster Prev. Manag. Know. 2026; 15 (4) :2-2
URL: http://dpmk.ir/article-1-791-en.html
URL: http://dpmk.ir/article-1-791-en.html
1- Department of Industrial Engineering, Mazandaran University of Science and Technology, Babol, Iran
Abstract: (16 Views)
Background and Objective Natural disasters result in the generation of massive volumes of waste, leading to severe environmental, economic, and social consequences. Inefficient management of this waste can delay reconstruction efforts and incur additional costs. This study aims to develop a multi-objective optimization model for disaster waste clean-up, incorporating a multimodal transportation approach (truck-rail) and risk prioritization of affected areas.
Method Initially, affected areas were ranked using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) based on five risk indicators. Subsequently, the proposed model was implemented using the epsilon-constraint method across seven sample problems of varying scales. The model considers minimization of the completion time for debris removal and waste transportation operations, as well as reduction of transportation costs and infrastructure equipping expenses as objective functions.
Results Results indicated that as problem dimensions increase, solution time rises significantly, with the model exhibiting NP-Hard characteristics at larger scales. The obtained Pareto points confirmed the trade-off between time minimization and cost reduction objectives, highlighting the need for selections aligned with operational policies. Furthermore, the multimodal transportation system, compared to road-only mode, achieved an average 30.1% reduction in operation completion time and 11.3% reduction in total costs. Further analysis revealed that road transportation performs better over short distances, whereas the superiority of the multimodal system increases markedly with greater distances. Risk prioritization results demonstrated targeted resource allocation to high-risk areas.
Conclusion The study findings suggest that the presented model can serve as a practical tool for crisis managers in planning post-disaster waste clean-up. Employing multimodal transportation alongside a multi-criteria approach not only enhances efficiency and decision-making quality but also enables optimal resource allocation to high-risk regions.
Method Initially, affected areas were ranked using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) based on five risk indicators. Subsequently, the proposed model was implemented using the epsilon-constraint method across seven sample problems of varying scales. The model considers minimization of the completion time for debris removal and waste transportation operations, as well as reduction of transportation costs and infrastructure equipping expenses as objective functions.
Results Results indicated that as problem dimensions increase, solution time rises significantly, with the model exhibiting NP-Hard characteristics at larger scales. The obtained Pareto points confirmed the trade-off between time minimization and cost reduction objectives, highlighting the need for selections aligned with operational policies. Furthermore, the multimodal transportation system, compared to road-only mode, achieved an average 30.1% reduction in operation completion time and 11.3% reduction in total costs. Further analysis revealed that road transportation performs better over short distances, whereas the superiority of the multimodal system increases markedly with greater distances. Risk prioritization results demonstrated targeted resource allocation to high-risk areas.
Conclusion The study findings suggest that the presented model can serve as a practical tool for crisis managers in planning post-disaster waste clean-up. Employing multimodal transportation alongside a multi-criteria approach not only enhances efficiency and decision-making quality but also enables optimal resource allocation to high-risk regions.
Keywords: Natural disaster waste clean-up, temporary disaster waste management site, multimodal transportation, ɛ-constraint method
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/07/23 | Accepted: 2025/10/13 | ePublished: 2026/03/1
Received: 2025/07/23 | Accepted: 2025/10/13 | ePublished: 2026/03/1
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