Ahmad Nohegar

Abstract

The occurrence of large-scale floods causing extensive damage worldwide has raised significant concerns. Flood management encompasses strategies with the aim of mitigating risks and damages associated with flood events. Experience shows that the construction of physical structures within riverbeds alone is insufficient for flood control, necessitating comprehensive management measures across various aspects. Legal challenges are among the critical issues that must be addressed in flood management. To this end, integrating all managerial aspects, including planning, financial provisions, and inter-agency collaboration, is of paramount importance. In this study, a thorough literature review is conducted to identify effective strategies for achieving Integrated Flood Management (IFM). To evaluate the study area, the Jajrud watershed, decision-making methods such as TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution), SAW (Simple Additive Weighted), ARAS (Additive Ratio ASsessment), and WASPAS (Weighted Aggregated Sum Product ASsessment) are employed based on four key criteria: social, economic, environmental, and political factors. These factors are weighted using Entropy Shannon method. Experts select, refine, and consolidate six management strategies. Subsequently, these strategies are evaluated. The findings indicate that utilizing advanced technologies in flood management ranks first, followed by enhancing public participation in second place. The third-ranked approach is the protection and restoration of natural ecosystems, while the development of flood control infrastructure ranks fourth. Effective land-use management is positioned fifth, and improving water resource governance ranks sixth.