Sustainable Port Site Selection in Mountainous Areas Within Continuous Dam Zones: A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Framework

Abstract

The development of large-scale cascade hydropower complexes has improved the navigation conditions of mountainous rivers but creates unique “continuous dam zones,” presenting complex challenges for port site selection due to hydrological variability and geological risks. To address the lack of specialized evaluation tools for this specific context, this paper constructs a comprehensive evaluation indicator system tailored for mountainous reservoir areas. The proposed system explicitly integrates critical engineering and physical constraints—specifically fluctuating backwater zones, geological hazards, and dam-bypass mileage—alongside ecological and social requirements. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Entropy Weight Method (EWM) are integrated using a Game Theory model to determine combined weights, and the Evaluation based on Distance from Average Solution (EDAS) model is applied to rank the alternatives. An empirical analysis of the Xiluodu Reservoir area on the Jinsha River demonstrates that operational efficiency, geological safety, and environmental feasibility constitute the critical decision-making factors. The results indicate that Option C (Majiaheba site) offers the optimal solution (ASi = 0.9695), effectively balancing engineering utility with environmental protection. Sensitivity analysis further validates the consistency and stability of this ranking under different decision-making scenarios. The findings provide quantitative decision support for project implementation and offer a replicable reference for infrastructure planning in similar complex mountainous river basins.