University of Sistan and Baluchestan Journal of Natural Environmental Hazards 2676-4377 Articles in Press 2025 10 07 Sustainable management of flood-prone areas with a focus on the impacts and damages caused by the Pirbazar River flood Sustainable management of flood-prone areas with a focus on the impacts and damages caused by the Pirbazar River flood 1 1 9460 10.22111/jneh.2025.52056.2115 FA Fatemeh Falahati Assistant Professor, Head of the Hydrological Hazards Research Group and faculty member of the Natural Disasters Research Institute, Tehran, Iran Journal Article 2025 05 17 The expansion of settlements along riverbanks and drainage channels, as well as indirect interventions in large and small catchment areas that drain the surrounding mountains, have disrupted slope stability, destroyed vegetation cover, compacted soil, and altered the profiles of waterways. These factors have increased vulnerability and intensified the impacts of sudden floods. This issue has become particularly critical in recent years, as intensified droughts have diminished public awareness of the occurrence of consecutive and heavy rainfall in some regions. Consequently, unauthorized construction within the riverbed and its buffer zone has increased, changing the flow and sediment transport potential and disrupting the balance of these aquatic ecosystems. Under these circumstances, rivers reclaim their natural rights according to flood return periods, severely affecting any existing developments within the floodplain. This study is categorized as applied research in terms of its objective and as exploratory research in terms of data collection. It involves field visits, data gathering, and the analysis and interpretation of qualitative data. To this end, in the first step, by analyzing the content of field visit reports from flood-prone villages across the country, the main challenges related to flood risk reduction were identified. Then, based on the findings and the recognized need for the regulation and dredging of rivers and drainage channels in vulnerable rural areas nationwide, the February 2025 flood event in the Pirbazar River was examined and analyzed. Finally, recommendations were provided for policymakers and local authorities to strengthen resilience against floods. The expansion of settlements along riverbanks and drainage channels, as well as indirect interventions in large and small catchment areas that drain the surrounding mountains, have disrupted slope stability, destroyed vegetation cover, compacted soil, and altered the profiles of waterways. These factors have increased vulnerability and intensified the impacts of sudden floods. This issue has become particularly critical in recent years, as intensified droughts have diminished public awareness of the occurrence of consecutive and heavy rainfall in some regions. Consequently, unauthorized construction within the riverbed and its buffer zone has increased, changing the flow and sediment transport potential and disrupting the balance of these aquatic ecosystems. Under these circumstances, rivers reclaim their natural rights according to flood return periods, severely affecting any existing developments within the floodplain. This study is categorized as applied research in terms of its objective and as exploratory research in terms of data collection. It involves field visits, data gathering, and the analysis and interpretation of qualitative data. To this end, in the first step, by analyzing the content of field visit reports from flood-prone villages across the country, the main challenges related to flood risk reduction were identified. Then, based on the findings and the recognized need for the regulation and dredging of rivers and drainage channels in vulnerable rural areas nationwide, the February 2025 flood event in the Pirbazar River was examined and analyzed. Finally, recommendations were provided for policymakers and local authorities to strengthen resilience against floods. https://jneh.usb.ac.ir/article_9460_0f2c0bd8d2ac3ed6d9652fa5d22da617.pdf