Water resources sustainability assessment in the Vietnamese Srepok River Basin.

This study proposes a sustainability assessment framework for managing the water resources of the Vietnamese portion of the Srepok River Basin (VSRB). A sustainability hierarchy was developed using five, ten, seven and five sustainability indicators to characterize economic, environmental, social and management dimensions of the basin's water resources. Reliable weights for each of these sustainability components were assigned using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process evaluations of judgements obtained from five highly experienced experts. The sustainability levels were ranked in increasing order of Management > Economic > Environment > Social, allowing a composite sustainability index to be assessed. By taking into account economic, environmental, social and management perspectives, the assessment provides a comprehensive understanding of the sustainability of water resources in the VSRB. Highlights: We assessed a multi‐faceted sustainability framework for river basin water resources.Reliable weights of components were derived by acceptably consistent expert judgments.Enhancing irrigation system capacity is essential for better economic performance.Irrigation saving technique should be highly encouraged for environmental sustainability.Reducing the number of people affected by floods and droughts strengthens social sustainability.Management performance is essential to strengthen th\e integrated water sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]