Comprehensive Assessment and Zonation of Drought Risk and Vulnerability in Kerman Province

Background: Drought can be considered as a characteristic deviation from the normal climatic conditions that manifest itself in variables like rainfall, soil moisture and level of water rivers and underground water. According to the National Drought Monitoring and Warning Center of Iran and based on the SPI index, by February ۲۰۱۷, around ۶۰% of Kerman Province was involved in severe drought, and about ۱۶% suffered from severe drought. The risk of drought is a function of the intensity and duration of drought as well as the vulnerability of the community against the drought. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the risk of drought and its mapping in Kerman Province.  Materials and Methods: This is a qualitative study that besides determining the risk of drought, assess the level of vulnerability of Kerman Province against drought. In order to evaluate the risk of drought, we used the equation DRI=DHI * DVI. Using the relationship DHI=(MDr * MDw)+(VSDr * VSDw)+(SDr * SDw), the Drought Hazard Index was extracted. The data obtained from the study was mapped by using ArcGIS ۹.۰. Results:  Based on the study results, ۶.۳% of Kerman Province, ۱۱۵۸۱ Km۲, was involved in severe drought. This province with mean drought vulnerability index of ۴.۵, has low tolerance against drought and the consequences could affect dramatically the communities in this province. Conclusion: The measures to reduce the vulnerability in social, economic, ecologic, and health areas not only lower the risk in the drought-affected areas, but also prevent secondary damages like immigration, marginalization, and social, cultural problems in large and capital cities of the province.