Spatial analysis of socio-political consequences of water scarcity in Khuzestan province

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Department of Political Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran – Iran.

Abstract
The water scarcity crisis in many geographical areas has many consequences in the economic, cultural, political and social fields. Among the most important socio-political consequences of water scarcity can be considered the formation of political unrest and protest gatherings. Khuzestan province is facing a water shortage crisis due to being in an arid and semi-arid climate, as well as due to a sharp decrease in rainfall in recent years, and this has had significant socio-political consequences in addition to various biological consequences. The riots of the summer of 2021 are the most obvious example. In the discussed time period, rallies were held for seven days in seventeen cities of Khuzestan province, which shows the importance of water scarcity and the risk of drought in the said province. The current research with spatial analysis approach and using library resources and using climate data, with the help of standardized precipitation index (SPI) and also using Arc GIS tool to zone Khuzestan province according to aridity, amount of precipitation and spatial distribution Social unrest in the province has been addressed. The findings of the research show that social-political consequences (specifically, protest gatherings) were more visible in cities that are located in very dry areas or where the amount of rainfall in the years prior to the protests was very low.

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Volume 20, Issue 1 - Serial Number 77
No.77
Winter 2025
Pages 83-118

  • Receive Date 26 October 2024
  • Revise Date 09 January 2025
  • Accept Date 08 March 2025