Analysis of Vulnerability of Coastal Villages of Oman Sea to the Sand Dunes Movement (Case Study: District Lirdaf of Jask)

Movement of sand dunes is an important natural threat in the Coast of Oman Sea. Now many rural settlements of the region are in threat, and vulnerability has caused heavy losses. The sand dunes are visible in the wide area and wind erosion occurs in a wide spatial scale. Wind erosion faces high intensity in the area, because of poor vegetation, low rainfall, dry soil, strong and continuous winds, smooth surface and low lands, low slope and the recent drought, and the moving gigantic volume of annual windy sands. Due to the severe sand storms and the recent droughts occurred in the region, the environment, region economy, people’s health, and rural life have been faced with noticeable damages and this can be effective in unfavorable condition of life environment of the South Seas. According to the studies, undertaken by the author in this field and the study of the population and the housing census, villages’ culture and regional maps,, 15 villages have been buried and discharged, on account of sand movement during the recent 30 years (1976-2006), besides, some of them are in the forced discharge. Vulnerability in this villages, is growing so continuously that the east of Jask can be considered as a critical view of wind erosion and sand dune movement in the region. The recognition and analysis of rural settlement is an important factor in contrasting of crisis of movement of sand dunes and rural development planning and can effectively help reduce losses from related fields of this phenomenon. In this study there is an attempt to identify and classify the view of vulnerability of the physical – spatial movement of sand dune in the villages of the region.