Determination of the Most Effective Indicators of Water and Irrigation Criteria in Desertification Intensity (Case Study: Kashan and Aran Bidgol Plains)

Abstract

One of the important criteria of desertification is water and irrigation which is influenced by various indices, all of which are affected by human activities. In this research, in order to determine the most effective water and irrigation index in the desertification of Kashan and Aran Bidgol plains, and to show the importance of human activities in desertification, 13 water and irrigation indices of IMDPA model were investigated after on the field operations and collecting the necessary data. The GIS map of water and irrigation index based on work unit was extracted. The results showed that 84.58 percent of the study area is located in the intense class, and 15.42 percent in the medium class of desertification. The highest numerical value is related to the work units of the sandy plains located on Epandage plains, residential and industrial land, and agricultural land of covered plains and Epandage plain with intense class, respectively. Analyses performed on the numerical values of weight average indices affecting water and irrigation criteria in the area indicate that the index of water pumping hours is the most influential index on accelerating rate of desertification in the region.