Fluvial geomorphology and floods in the Kan River basin, Tehran

Floods are a destructive disaster in Iran. The case of Kan River Basin is a representative example of the dynamics of seasonal and extraordinary rains in floodplains associated with the Nina phenomenon, storms, low pressure systems and tropical cyclones. The tectonic, geological, geomorphological, biological and climatological characteristics draw this relief with intense dynamics. They along with the population growth without effective planning of the territory generate ideal risk scenarios for the disaster occurrence with greater intensities. A morphometric and morphogenetic analysis is carried out, which gives a flood hazard map of the basin with four susceptibility types: the apparent seasonal beds, the maximum floodplain, the extraordinary floodplain, and the areas of low susceptibility to occurrence. This map is validated through the DesInventar disasters database with a 95.08% of confirmation. This cartography and its respective analysis are a basic input for the risk management and the territorial ordering of this river basin.