Identifying flood risk governance in Iran: Challenges and recommendations

Flood risk governance remains a critical yet underexamined dimension of disaster management in Iran. In 2019, unprecedented floods affected nearly 10 million people—approximately 12% of the national population—across 25 provinces, resulting in 85 fatalities and an estimated USD 2.26 billion in infrastructure damage. This study employs the Policy Arrangement Approach (PAA) to identify institutional challenges across five strategic pillars: prevention, defense, mitigation, preparation, and recovery. Data were gathered through 15 semi‑structured interviews and eight expert workshops with key stakeholders who served as lead coordinators of Iran’s national flood‑risk committees. An analysis of official documents and reports reveals systemic weaknesses, including fragmented actor coordination, rigid regulatory frameworks, inefficient resource allocation, and competing governance discourses. The findings point to an overreliance on structural measures (e.g., dams), the marginalization of non‑state actors, and the neglect of nature‑based solutions and risk‑informed land‑use planning. The study recommends strengthening multi‑stakeholder collaboration, advancing institutional reforms toward resilience‑based governance, and integrating indigenous knowledge. Although situated within Iran’s context, the insights carry broader relevance for other disaster‑prone regions facing similar institutional and governance constraints. The proposed governance‑focused perspective offers transferable pathways for enhancing resilience in settings where technocratic models continue to dominate flood‑risk management.