The Impact of Dust Storms on Urban Environmental Quality in Susangerd

INTRODUCTION:Dust storms are among the most significant natural hazards that in recent years have led to a decline in the environmental quality of many urban and rural settlements in Iran.Therefore, the present study aims to examine the impact of dust storms on the urban environmental quality of Susangerd.METHODS: In this descriptive and analytical research, the statistical population consists of 377 citizens of Susangerd aged over 15.The designed questionnaire includes four main components.Data analysis was conducted using statistical methods, including the one-sample T-test and stepwise regression analysis, within the SPSS software environment. FINDINGS:The findings indicate that, based on the one-sample T-test, the environmental component had a mean score of 4.27, the economic component 4.16, the social component 4.00, and the physical component 3.71, all of which exceed the baseline value of 3.This suggests that dust storms have had an adverse impact on urban environmental quality in Susangerd across all studied components.CONCLUSION: According to the results, among the examined components, the environmental component had the most significant impact on urban environmental quality, with a beta coefficient of 0.314.Then, the economic component (0.300), the physical component (0.276), and finally the social component with a beta coefficient of 0.274 had the greatest contribution to urban environmental quality.In summary, the environmental effects of dust storms on Susangerd urban environment were more pronounced than those of the other three components.