Vulnerability and Drought Risk Assessment in Iran Based on Fuzzy Logic and Hierarchical Analysis

Drought is an intangible natural disaster that can occur in any climate. The present study assessed drought vulnerability in Iran based on fuzzy logic and hierarchical analysis and weighted averaging process. Then, the weight and map of different components and values of ORness, GIS-OWA method were used to prepare a set of drought vulnerability maps based on effective drought index (EDI). The study of vulnerable classes in terms of adaptation capacity showed that the northern regions of the country enjoy the highest adaptation capacity. The lowest level of compatibility is related to the cities located in the south of Kerman province, west of Khorasan Razavi province, and Ilam province. As far as the exposure component is concerned, vulnerability extends across the country. Also, cities in the provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan and south of Kerman are in a very vulnerable category regarding the sensitivity component. In other words, according to the type of component, different regions of the country are in the vulnerable category. Also, according to all computational ORness results, drought risk in Sistan-Baluchestan, Kerman, and Khuzestan provinces are in very high vulnerability category. Also, the risk of drought in the western and eastern regions of the country is moderate and high, and only are the central and desert regions of the country and parts of the north-western regions of the country in a state of vulnerability and, accordingly, enjoy lower risk than other parts of the country.