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Categorization of the Potential Impact of Italian Quarries on Water Resources through a Multi-Criteria Decision Aiding-Based Model

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  • Matteo Paoletti

    (Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, Tuscia University, 01100 Viterbo, Italy)

  • Vincenzo Piscopo

    (Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, Tuscia University, 01100 Viterbo, Italy)

  • Chiara Sbarbati

    (Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, Tuscia University, 01100 Viterbo, Italy)

  • Antonino Scarelli

    (Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, Tuscia University, 01100 Viterbo, Italy)

Abstract

Quarrying has great importance for economic development and, at the same time, can have several adverse environmental impacts; specifically, it may have a significant influence on water resources. There are approximately 4000 quarries in Italy, and knowledge of their potential impact on water resources is limited. To this end, a procedure for categorizing Italian quarries was devised by combining the methods of Geographic Information Systems and Multi-Criteria Decision Aiding, selecting the potentially impactful criteria, and parametrizing the latter through the available databases. Using the ELECTRE models (ELECTRE TRI and ELECTRE III), the impact category of each quarry was assessed separately for surface water and groundwater and then the overall impact on water resources was assessed. The simulations were carried out by varying the weights of the various selected criteria, which allowed the grouping of Italian quarries into five categories with increasing potential impact on water resources. The ranking of quarries falling into the two highest-impact categories was further refined using ascending and descending distillations. The categorization can be interpreted as a first national assessment of the sustainability of quarrying activities with reference to water resources. The methodological approach of the study proved to be appropriate for the quarry-sorting and -ranking processes, lending itself to the introduction of other criteria and weights, including those arising from the participation of different stakeholders.

Suggested Citation

  • Matteo Paoletti & Vincenzo Piscopo & Chiara Sbarbati & Antonino Scarelli, 2024. "Categorization of the Potential Impact of Italian Quarries on Water Resources through a Multi-Criteria Decision Aiding-Based Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-18, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:7:p:2804-:d:1365315
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Vincenzo Piscopo & Chiara Sbarbati & Francesca Lotti & Luigi Lana & Marco Petitta, 2022. "Sustainability Indicators of Groundwater Withdrawal in a Heavily Stressed System: The Case of the Acque Albule Basin (Rome, Italy)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-22, November.
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    4. G.K. Koulinas & O.E. Demesouka & P.K. Marhavilas & A.P. Vavatsikos & D.E. Koulouriotis, 2019. "Risk Assessment Using Fuzzy TOPSIS and PRAT for Sustainable Engineering Projects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-15, January.
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