Presenting a mathematical programming model for the allocation of relief goods in crises in the humanitarian supply chain

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistance Prof, Department of Industrial Management, Qa. C., Islamic Azad University, Qazvin, Iran. Email: somayeh.khoshnami@iau.ac.ir

2 Corresponding Author. Assistance Prof, Department of Industrial Management, Qa. C., Islamic Azad University, Qazvin, Iran. Email: Mashayekhi_elmira@iau.ac.ir

10.22091/jemsc.2026.13899.1302

Abstract

In today's world, natural disasters and humanitarian crises are increasingly increasing, making the need for a rapid and effective response in the provision of relief goods more urgent than ever. The humanitarian supply chain, as a complex system, includes various stages, including the provision, storage, distribution, and delivery of relief goods to affected areas. In this regard, the optimal allocation of resources and relief items to different areas is one of the main challenges in crisis management. In this paper, a mathematical programming model for the distribution of relief items is presented based on the design of a multi-objective, multi-period model for fair distribution. Therefore, in this paper, an optimization model for the distribution of livelihood packages in crisis situations to deal with the crisis is presented. For this purpose, a multi-objective and multi-level humanitarian supply chain has been developed for the fair distribution of livelihood packages to deal with the crisis. Since research on the allocation of emergency supplies usually considers one to two indicators, this paper examines five dimensions of humanitarian logistics indicators, which are: access cost, transportation cost, unmet demand rate in each period and the gap between the demand filling rate and the ideal demand satisfaction rate in the entire period, environmental hazards. In addition, instead of using single-affected-area relief distribution networks or single-period or two-period distribution modes, this paper builds a model for allocating essential supplies, including water, food, medicine, equipment, clothing, and blankets, from multiple relief centers to different affected areas, which is able to treat items fairly among the areas. Because, in this case, planning for affected areas is more consistent with the actual situation. Considering the results obtained, the need for rapid and effective response in crisis situations, this research helps to improve relief processes and reduce related costs, and ultimately leads to saving lives and reducing the damage caused by crises.

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References

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