The Analysis of Socio-economic Drought in Iraq Using the Standardized Precipitation Index and GIS
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Abstract
Drought is a significant natural hazard that poses a significant threat to many countries, including Iraq. It occurs frequently over short and long periods, severely impacting the nation's economic and social sectors. This study presents a comprehensive assessment of drought risk in Iraq by calculating the Drought Hazard Index (DHI) using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) to estimate the probability of meteorological drought. The Drought Vulnerability Index (DVI) was derived from five socio-economic factors: water withdrawal, irrigated land area, population, and agricultural and municipal water use. The Drought Risk Index (DRI) was determined by combining hazard and vulnerability scores. ArcGIS software created spatial maps and applied inverse distance weighting (IDW) for rating calculations. The findings reveal that the Nasiriyah station in the south faces the highest drought risk, while five other stations show moderate risk. Sixteen stations experience low risk, and most northern stations exhibit no drought risk. The elevated risk in the south is linked to limited water resources and overreliance on groundwater. Conversely, low rainfall and limited irrigated farmland have led to lower risk in the north. The study's maps and findings offer valuable tools for guiding drought preparedness and promoting sustainable water resource management in Iraq.
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Journal of Studies in Science and Engineering is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY-4.0).
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