In the present study, a new hybridization strategy for predicting the groundwater table (GWT) and drought analysis is presented. Therefore, a hybrid of the bi-long short-term model (BLSTM) and the Harris hawk optimization (HHO) algorithm, namely the BLSTM–HHO algorithm is applied. In this algorithm, the lagged data of the GWT are used as the input, whereas the current GWT data are used as the output. Additionally, the standalone BLSTM, the long short-term model (LSTM), artificial neural networks (ANNs), Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA), and the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) are employed as benchmark simulating algorithms. The results show that the BLSTM–HHO algorithm has more accuracy than the other investigated simulating algorithms based on the different evaluation criteria such as relative root mean squared error (RRMSE), Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient (NSE), and refined Willmott index (dr). The prediction results (from 2018 to 2022) in all three investigated aquifers show the decline of the GWT (−5.40 m for Brojen aquifer, −7.23 m for Javanmardi aquifer, and −5.81 m for Shahrekord aquifer). Accordingly, the drought analysis by the ground resource index (GRI) in the investigated areas shows that drought is expected to be continued for the next 5 years with an increasing magnitude of severity.

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Considering the presence of 274 dusty days in 2021 in Zabol city, Iran, the present study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using treated sewage effluent (TSE) for dust mitigation with natural methods of increasing land cover. Hence, first of all, the identification of sewage treatment facilities along with the volume and chemical status was carried out and compared to the various national and international legislation. Then, field investigation on land use and land cover, along with literature review on dust origins, sand detachment areas, and sand corridors in the study area will be assisted for optimal area suggestion. Note that, in the present study it was assumed that the application of TSE for wetting the surface to vegetation restoration resulted in wind erosion control in critical foci. The results showed that, so far, a total of 39,000 m 3 /day could be treated, in the whole study area. The TSE volume calculated based on two scenarios consisting, (1) data obtained from the related organization, and (2) based the capacity of the wastewater plant is 2.8 and 5.1 mcm/year, respectively. Additionally, the study of TSE quality and its comparison to various regulation such as FAO, USEPA, INS, and CWQI indicated the applicability of transforming TSE to 14 km away from the WWT planet daily for rehabilitation of Hammon Hirmand through irrigation of T.stricta to increase the vegetation cover to above 30%.Wind erosion is causing desertification and land degradation due to the movement of fine soil particles to water bodies, air, and other lands, increasing the risk to human health 1,2 , changing the soil properties such as structure, moisture content, and organic matter 3 in arid and semiarid regions. It is the dominant problem in about 907,293 km 2 of the deserts of Iran 4 . Various practices have been introduced to prevent or reduce soil erosion by wind consisting of roughening the soil surface, increasing the percentage of non-erodible clods, reducing field length, establishing and maintaining vegetative cover, and using wind barriers 5 . Wetting the surface to temporarily increase the percentage of non-erodible clods and establishing and maintaining vegetative cover are the most natural and effective methods 6,7 .Due to the water resource limitations in arid and semi-arid regions, the feasibility of applying treated sewage effluent (TSE) (also commonly known as reclaimed water, recycled water, or reused water) was previously studied 8 . It generally has been applied for irrigation 9 , groundwater replenishment 10,11 , industrial processes 11 , and environmental restoration 12,13 . However, other applications for rangelands 14 , forests 15 , recreation areas, including parks and golf courses 16 , and disturbed lands 17 , such as mine spoil sites 18,19 were also investigated. The TSE implementation for dust control or surface cleaning of roads, construction sites, and other trafficked areas 20 .According to the reliable authorities, TSE is the most important and practical form of using unconventional sources, d...