Determination of Effective Factors on Gorganrood River Flooding and Micro-Zoning Flood Risk Analysis in Aq’Qala County Using AHP Method

The purpose of this study is to investigate of the effective factors on the flooding of Gorganrood river in Aq’Qala county. In this research 18 sub-criteria that plays an imperious role to create the flood inundation were identified. The sub-criteria were compared in pairs using the AHP method and their final weights were determined using Expert Choice software. Topographic and morphological sub-criteria with weights of 0.353 and 0.333 respectively, had the greatest impact on the occurrence of floods in Aq’Qala county. Based on the results, 14.19% of the area of Aq’Qala county located in a very low hazard zone (the western and the southern regions due to their suitable topography and distance from the Gorganrood river), 18.1% in low hazard zone (the northwest of the Aq’Qala county due to the existence of swampland and salty areas), 11.95% in moderate hazard zone (the north of the Aq’Qala county due to the swampy and hilly nature of the areas and the south of the Aq’Qala county), 29.66% in high hazard zone (the southeast of Aq’Qala county due to near the Gorganrood river buffer zone and tributaries of the Qarasou river, and the west of Aq’Qala county due to the unsuitable morphological conditions and very low slope Gorganrood bed river), 26.1% in very high hazard zone (The middle of Aq’Qala county due to the topography of the plains and qualitative buffer zones of the Gorganrood River due to the unsuitable morphological conditions). Canalization of the outer arch meanders at the SallaqYilqi village to Gangirma village. Widening and dredging the channel near the Aq’Qala’s bridge in the Aq'Qala city center. Drainage and digging the detour channel according to the topographic conditions in the middle plains of the Aq’Qala county can be very effective actions to reduce the flood hazard in the Aq’Qala County.