Abstract
In recent years, the Zayanderood River in Isfahan-Iran has been encountered by hydrological imbalance and drought. Literature review shows that long-term climate change, drought, and disruption of the river’s water supply has led to depletion of underground aquifers and, consequently, gradual subsidence of the river and serious damage to old buildings and structures along the riverbank. This fact would be followed up by adverse environmental, social, and economic effect that could threaten the sustainable development of urban space. Therefore, it is necessary to use efficient risk identification and assessment approaches toward a more effective risk management. The goal of this study is to identify and prioritize the risks of river drought with regards to all three sustainable development areas including environmental, social, and economic. The research methodology was a mixed field method that included a set of questionnaires and interviews. To evaluate collected data, the analytic network process (ANP) method was used. Eighteen important risks were identified. Based on the results, decrease in the groundwater level, climate change, and gradual soil degradation were ranked first, second, and third, respectively. As this study examined the impacts of river drought on all three areas of sustainable development simultaneously and comprehensively, it is expected that the results will fill the existing theoretical and practical gap affecting improvements in assessment and management of sustainable development risks.
Highlights
The Zayanderood River, which is a vital vein of fertility in the city of Isfahan, has experienced drought and hydrological imbalances for the last two decades [1]
As this study examined the impacts of river drought on all three areas of sustainable development simultaneously and comprehensively, it is expected that the results will fill the existing theoretical and practical gap affecting improvements in assessment and management of sustainable development risks
Out of the 26 identified risks, 17 are related to the environmental category, 6 are social-related, and 3 are economic. It can be said from a general perspective that from previous studies, the effects of hydrological drought of the river base have the greatest impact on environmental and social indices, while at the same time there are many economic risks in regards to urban sustainable development (Table 4)
Summary
The Zayanderood River, which is a vital vein of fertility in the city of Isfahan, has experienced drought and hydrological imbalances for the last two decades [1]. The Zayanderood is the biggest river in the central desert of Iran. The river’s movement has been broken due to hydrological drought that has occurred in the last few years. As water is one of the most pressing human needs, drought and water scarcity are one of the biggest challenges facing the development of the country in the present and future [2]. Zayanderood drought is one of the most important environmental, social, and economic crises in Iran in recent years. Continuous trend of the drought will increase the intensity of the ecological changes in Isfahan, endangering its life and future
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