Vulnerability assessment of critical infrastructures for cascading failures: An application to water distribution networks

Critical infrastructures form the backbone of any nation, and the failures of these infrastructures could lead to economic disruptions and fatal consequences. Assessing the vulnerability of such critical infrastructures has now evolved into a necessary and imperative task for researchers around the world. Water distribution networks form an essential class of critical infrastructures of modern society. The uninterrupted functioning of such networks is crucial for ensuring a nation’s economic development and welfare of society. The objective of this article is to evaluate the vulnerability of nodes for Water Distribution Networks considering cascading failures. The system dynamics of a water network are included in the simulation process to estimate the impacts of cascading failures. Vulnerability metrics based on loss of topological connectivity and supply capability are formulated in this article. The applicability and significance of the proposed methodology are demonstrated using a sample network case study. Identification of different vulnerability zones is done by employing k-means clustering to perform a methodical comparison between the proposed and existing metrics of vulnerability assessment.