The Urban and Rural Views and Natural Environment in Khuzestan Affected by Floods of Spring, 2019 (The Case Study of Ahvaz)

As a result of the recent floods in the country which broke out in spring, 2019, affecting many cities of the country, not only many lives and properties were lost and huge numbers of citizens were displaced, but also serious problems were created. One of these problems was the disorder incurred damaging the views of the cities, villages and natural environment. In this regard, the intensity and volume of such disorder in Khuzestan province was much greater compared with other parts of the country. It was because in Khuzestan very extensive areas were seriously inflicted by the floods for much longer time. Accordingly, large numbers of levees and floodgates were built in various urban and rural spots of the province to mitigate the impact of flood havoc. As a consequence of these proceedings, many urban beautification practices previously done, including built urban furniture, particularly those built alongside the rivers, were totally damaged. The visual quality of urban and rural views in the province, though, was not that satisfactory even before breaking out of the floods. As such, the main problem the present study aimed to address was describing the challenges related with views of urban and rural spots in the province in general and to propose preventive approaches and regulations to lessen the destructive impacts of unexpected crises like floods and the likes in particular. The extent to which the urban view of Khuzestan province has been affected by the floods under discussion is the question the present study aimed to answer. The final aim of the study is to direct the attention of urban and rural authorities as well as those involved in natural resources towards the potentially dangerous problems existent in their districts particularly in the case of unexpected floods. As far as the issue of the impact of the floods on the urban and rural views as well as on natural resources is concerned, the author did not find any study done before. Most studies carried out so far have dealt with resistance of the cities during a flood.