Evaluating the resiliency of rural settlements around Urmia lake in Iran against drought

Abstract

Drought in Urmia Lake has challenged the survival of a large number of villages for more than two decades. In the meantime, considering that the level of resiliency can reduce the damage caused by drought, the aim of this study is to identify the level of resiliency in villages around Urmia Lake in Iran against drought. This paper is an applied research with a correlational descriptive and analytical approach. The study population was 77,241 people living in 87 villages around the lake at a distance of less than 30 kilometres. Using the Cochran formula, 400 people were chosen randomly as the sample size. The same rate was selected as the control from more distant villages. Using Cronbach alpha formula, the reliability of different parts of questionnaire obtained was 0/86 to 0/88. Data analysis has been done using SPSS and GIS software. According to the results, there is a positive and significant relationship between resilience variables and the distance from the lake. The correlation rate of variables related to environmental resilience is more than other variables. Also, the economic and social resilience in the villages at eastern and southern sides of the lake was more than other sides. So, while considering environmental resilience, it is better to consider geographical locations of villages in economic and social respects in future plans.