Ranking of Economic Activities in Yazd Province Using Input - Output and TOPSIS Models (With Emphasis on Water Intensive)

In recent decades, the effort for economic growth, resources and environment of the country has faced many crises. This is while water, both as a vital element and as a factor of production, plays an important role in the survival of a society. Therefore, the attention of policy makers and planners is focused on the lack of this vital resource. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to prioritize economic activities in Yazd province by combining input-output model and TOPSIS method in order to have six criteria of link strength, employment, energy, pollution, water and value added with emphasis on the importance of water source. In terms of water intensity, the results indicate that, respectively, the activities of "other services", "construction" and "transportation" are the most important in comparison with other activities. In other words, the mentioned sections consume less water per unit of output. Relatively significant change in the prioritization of activities in terms of water consumption criteria indicates the importance of considering different criteria according to the local conditions of the regions. Since Yazd is located in the arid and water-scarce region of the country, these results show the importance of water intensity criteria in the development of this region.