Purpose- Due to the dewatering of Karun Dam, the village of Southern Donbaleh Roud of Izeh County has been surrounded by water since 2004 until now and has been deprived of services and amenities and communication. Moreover, their access to the cities of Dehdez and Izeh has been limited. Given the importance of the issue, the aim of this study is to assess and evaluate the sustainability of development in rural areas of Southern Donbaleh Roud District. Design/methodology/approach- This research is based on the applied purpose and has an analytical- descriptive nature. Required data were collected using library and field (questionnaire) method. The area under study includes 18 villages and 1460 households. The sample size was estimated based on Cochran formula of 300 family guardians and the questionnaires were distributed among them. To analyze the data from the questionnaire, the Prometheus model (in the visual Prometheus software environment) and the fuzzy inference system (in MATLAB software) were used. Finding- Based on the Prometheus model, the villages are ranked according to three positive (Phi+), negative (Phi-) and pure flows. The villages with the highest positive minimum negative flows are in the first place, and the villages with the least positive and the most negative flows are at the last place of development sustainability. The results obtained from the Fuzzy inference system also indicate that the sustainability of the studied rural area is between the medium and low levels. Originality/value - There have been a lot of changes in spatial organization of the studied villages due to water logging of the villages. These changes have created disruptions in the system and functioning of the settlements and have affected the quality of life and wellbeing of the inhabitants. Because the construction of dams has destroyed the communicative routes between villages and the city, agricultural lands and gardens, schools, rural healthcare centers, residential houses, provincial villages and… and the villages have been left behind the dam so far. Therefore, considering the special circumstances of these settlements, the problems of these villages have been scientifically examined and addressed to planners and officials. Because, through this, the authorities and development experts gain knowledge about the opportunities and capabilities, limitations and impasse of the villages.
