PRIORITIZATION OF APPARENT LOSS MANAGEMENT COMPONENTS WITH ANP, AHP AND TOPSIS METHODS BY CONSIDERING THE MULTI-DECISION CRITERIA

Water losses increase operational costs for utilities and lead to significant revenue reductions; therefore, effective control and sustainable management of apparent losses are critical for utilities. This study proposes a methodological framework for the efficient management and prioritization of apparent loss components using multi‐criteria decision‐making (MCDM) methods, including the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Analytic Network Process (ANP), and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). A total of 72 components were identified under six main headings for apparent loss management (ALM), and 10 evaluation criteria were defined to assess these components. The weights of the criteria were calculated with AHP and ANP, while TOPSIS was applied to prioritize the ALM components based on these weights. The results indicate that the ANP method, which accounts for complex interdependencies among criteria, provides more stable and reliable weighting results. According to the TOPSIS analysis, 14 components showed similar priority rankings. Overall, the findings offer a valuable contribution to decision‐making processes in the planning and strategy development stages of apparent loss management.