Investigating the trend of hydrological and meteorological drought indicators of Urmia Plain

Examining the trends of drought indices helps us predict water resources more accurately and improve water resource management plans. By analyzing drought trends, we can allocate water resources more effectively and prevent their depletion. To this end, the study focused on investigating the trends of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) for four rain gauge stations and the Groundwater Resources Index (GRI) for ۱۷ piezometric wells in the Urmia Plain. The results of the Kendall test on the discharge of exploitation wells indicate that most areas show a significant decreasing trend in ۱, ۳, ۶, ۱۲, ۲۴, and ۴۸-month time series. The most significant decreasing trend is observed in the Dolama region of the Urmia Plain. Therefore, making management decisions for monitoring and understanding drought indices is a priority for developing effective strategies to mitigate the environmental, economic, and societal impacts of drought and prevent the downward trend of these areas in the Urmia Plain.