Multicriteria Methods as Decision Making Aids in the Hydrographic Basin of the Curu River - State of Ceará

Decisions on the liberation of dam flows for a basin during a given period, involve great difficulties with hydrological, social, political and economical aspects. The multicriteria methods frequently support decision making techniiques, that help to solve problems that can have several conflicting objectives, multiple possible actions, uncertainties, diverse stages, and many affected individuals. This study combines operational research and multicriteria analysis as decision making instruments for the members of the Curu River Basin Committee. This paper describes and applies the ELECTRE I and Commitment Programming multicriteria methods. These two methods are applied and compared in a case study, with the strategic objective of choosing the appropriate flow, taking several criteria involved in the process into consideration. Data were obtained from the optimization of certain irrigated areas using the alternatives of simulated flows by the technicians of COGERH (Company for the of Management of Hydric Resources of the State of Ceara), through a linear programming model.