Development of decision-support system for enabling socially acceptable approaches to hazardous process plant siting

The tragic accident involving the leak of methyl isocyanate in Bhopal in 1984, which to date has been the largest industrial disaster, has led to formulation of a large number of health and safety regulations worldwide, one of them being application of land-use planning around major hazard facilities so as to control the risk to public, while at the same time balance it with prospective economic development that may ensue from industrial expansion. The associated decision-making processes, however, are necessarily complex as it involves balancing the interests of multiple stakeholders and ensuring a tradeoff between risk-informed policies that aim to reduce public risk and enabling local economic growth. The research will involve the  development of computer-based multi-criteria decision algorithms for enabling optimal allocation of land on the basis of industry imperatives, community health, safety and development goals, and other specific stakeholder interests and concerns.