Assessing vulnerability of rural settlements to drought phenomenon using Kupros multi-criteria decision-making model (Case study: Delfan County)

Identifying the accident-prone areas and vulnerable to environmental hazards will enable planners to make the best decisions in the shortest possible time. Accordingly, this research was carried out to assess and rank the rural settlements of Delfan County in terms of vulnerability to drought phenomenon using Kupros multi-criteria decision- making model. In this descriptive - analytical research, 21 vulnerability indices in physical, economic and social dimensions was studied. Data collection was done by rural administrators in 24 rural settlements, selected randomly. After weighing the indices using Shannon’s entropy method, the villages were ranked by Kupros model. Results showed that, considering the diversity of vulnerability indices, Kupros model might have a great capability in ranking of settlements in terms of vulnerability to drought phenomenon. Golam Bahri and Kafraj had the most vulnerability, and Zafar Abad and Garmeh Khani had the least vulnerability to drought phenomenon.