Evaluation of eigenvector employed in analytical hierarchical procedure for river stability index development

Abstract The development of a river stability index (RSI) marks a significant advancement in understanding river formation and geomorphic responses. One major problem that led to the development of the RSI was the lack of a comprehensive and standardized method to evaluate the stability of rivers, resulting in inconsistent assessments and management strategies. By utilizing an analytic hierarchical procedure (AHP), the RSI provides a systematic approach to quantifying river stability. This paper focuses on the evaluation of the eigenvector of the hierarchical structure employed in AHP. Five parameters have been selected including morphology, geomorphic responses, channel slope, bed materials, and stream power. The results show that the most influential parameters that have a significant effect on river stability based on the eigenvector are as follows: geomorphic responses (51%), morphology (21%), stream power (17%), channel slope (7%), and bed materials (4%). The consistency ratio is 0.07 which is less than 0.1 verifies the eigenvector is accurate and consistent.