Flood risk zoning based on the hydro-climatic characteristics of basins in Hamedan Province, Iran

Abstract

Recently, floods have become a severe environmental issue in the Iran due to climate change. Several studies have indicated that ensemble flood forecasting based on numerical weather predictions could provide an early warning with extended lead time. The floods during 1992-2013 showed that Hamedan Province is a high-risk area in Iran due to various causes, such as the harvesting and uncovering of farms, high intensity of precipitation, land and soil quality, and land slope. The present study aimed to identify the infleuntial factors in flood based on their scoring in terms of the influence intensity in recognized flooded areas. According to the results, the north (Kabudar Ahang), northeast (Razan), and south and southwest of the studied area (Nahavand) were high-risk regions in Hamedan Province. In addition, the causes of floods varied in different regions of the province, and Hamadan province is flooded in different areas due to various causes.