Investigation and Ranking of Water Security in Study Areas of South Khorasan Province Using Gray Analysis

In South Khorasan province, water shortage is one of the main limiting factors for the development of economic activities in the coming decades. In this province, similar to other parts of the country, the optimal use of water in the form of culture has not yet found its special place, so achieving a relative equilibrium in the supply and demand of water is a basic and essential principle. This is not possible except by creating a comprehensive system in water management and consequently water security. to prevent crises caused by water insecurity, it is necessary to identify rapid developments and defective trends in current water management based on the climate, social, economic, and other realities in each region. In this regard, the current state of water resources in this province was monitored and evaluated by creating a set of indicators. Then, with the help of gray analysis, which is a kind of hierarchical ranking method, the plains of the province were ranked in terms of water security.  The results of the gray analysis also showed that the highest score of water security level is in the Deh-e-Salm plain (0.524), Dehno_mighan plain (0.519), and chahak-Mousavieh plain (0.504). Their degree of Security is mainly interpreted by their ability to reduce the risks of water shortage and water scarcity, although it will never be secure to study unless there is a risk of water shortage and water scarcity. There are important study areas such as Birjand Plain (0.462) that are currently in water insecurity. The highest levels of Water insecurity are observed in the South Khorasan Province, Sarayan (0.268) and Boshrouyeh (0.363).