Abstract
The river Zayandeh Rud is the most important surface water in central Iran. The catchment area has been affected by two drought periods within the last 15 years. Decreasing surface and groundwater availability has been accompanied by an increase in water withdrawal for irrigation , domestic uses, industry, and water transfers to neighbouring provinces. This has led to severe ecological and social consequences. While the Iranian government is officially committed to the IWRM idea, water management decisions have still been based on supply-driven strategies, and supply and demand have mainly been balanced by water transfer projects. Existing simulation models have not been used for management decisions because their development lacked participatory elements and therefore they are considered as being biased. The aim of the project IWRM Isfahan was to develop a locally adapted IWRM process for the catchment area which integrates organisational, participative and technical measures. To this end, three different simulation models have been developed and merged into a Water Management Tool (WMT ). WMT serves as the main instrument for a better understanding of water management processes within the catchment area and it provides the authorities in charge with a decision support tool. In order to achieve ownership and acceptance of the results and recommendations, accompanying measures like reforms in water governance or the establishment of WMT commissions need to be realized. The first steps in this direction have already been taken applying participatory methods . Initial estimations show that the implemented measures as a whole carry the potential for successful conflict resolution.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
The German broadcaster Deutsche Welle Farsi alone released nine articles in July 2013 with headlines like “Water shortage in Iran reaches critical levels”, “Water shortage and pollution from North to South” or “Save the Ourmiyeh Lake”.
- 2.
The centre is supposed to be one of 81 international and regional centers under the auspices of UNESCO. The costs are to be assumed by the Iranian government.
- 3.
For example a transfer from the Persian Gulf to the province Fars. See Tehran Times July 8th 2013.
- 4.
An ancient technology used to extract ground water.
References
Al Monitor (2013) Water riot breaks out in Iran. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/02/iran-water-riot-protests-youtube-video.html. Accessed 06 Nov 2014
Arnold JG, Moriasi DN, Gassman PW, Abbaspour KC, White MJ, Srinivasan R, Santhi C, Harmel RD, van Griensven A, Van Liew MW, Kannan N, Jha MK (2012) SWAT: model use, calibration, and validation. Trans ASABE 55(4):1491–1508
Bandaragoda DJ (2000) A framework for institutional analysis for water resources management in a river basin context. Working paper 5. International Water Management Institute, Colombo
DHI-WASY (2013) http://www.dhi-wasy.de/Software/FliessUndStandgewaesser/MIKEBASIN.aspx. Accessed 10 Jan 2013
Diersch H (2012) Grundwassersimulationssystem 6.1 user-/reference manual. DHI-WASY GmbH, Berlin
Diersch H-JG (2014) FEFLOW—finite element modeling of flow, mass and heat transport in porous and fractured media. Springer, Heidelberg
Dombrowsky I (2005) Integriertes Wasserressourcen-Management als Koordinationsproblem. In: Neubert S et al (eds) Integriertes Wasserressourcen-Management (IWRM)—Ein Konzept in die Praxis überführen. Nomos, Baden-Baden
Felmeden J, Schramm E, Sattary E, Davoudi A (2014) Agriculture in the Zayandeh Rud catchment. Final report, IWRM Isfahan Project. http://www.isoe.de/uploads/media/msoe-40-isoe-2014.pdf. Accessed 6 Nov 2014
Foltz RC (2002) Iran’s water crisis: cultural, political, and ethical dimensions. J Agric Environ Ethics 15(4):357–380
France24 (2014) A tale of two Iranian cities, battling for water. http://observers.france24.com/content/20130228-iran-isfahan-yazd-farmers-water-protest-pump. Accessed 06 Nov 2014
Georgakakos AP (2007) Decision support system for integrated water resource management with an application to the Nile Basin. In: Castelletti A, Soncini-Sessa R (eds) Topics on system analysis and integrated water resources management. Elsevier, pp 99–116
Ghanavizchian S, Mohajeri S (2013) Coping with cultures—conducting participation projects in Iran. In: Schön S, Mohajeri S, Dierkes M (eds) Machen Kläranlagen glücklich? Ein Panorama grenzüberschreitender Infrastrukturforschung, inter 3, Berlin, pp 108–115
Global Water Partnership (2000) Integrated water resources management. TAC background papers no 4, Stockholm
Global Water Partnership (2012) Groundwater resources and irrigated agriculture—making a beneficial relation more sustainable. http://www.gwp.org/Global/The%20Challenge/Resource%20material/Perspectives%20Paper_Groundwater_web.pdf. Accessed 06 Dec 2014
Gräbe A (2012) Development of a 3D flow model in semi-arid to arid regions: the western drainage basin of the Dead Sea. Hydrogeology of Arid Environments, Hannover. http://www.bgr.bund.de/EN/Themen/Wasser/Veranstaltungen/hydroarid_2012/download/Presentation_Graebe.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2. Accessed 06 Nov 2014
Horlemann L, Dombrowsky I (2012) Institutionalizing IWRM in developing and transition countries—the case of Mongolia. Environ Earth Sci 65(5):1547–1559
Hossaini Abari SH (2000) From its source to the mouth. Golha, Esfahan
Huitema D, Mostert E et al (2009) Adaptive water governance: assessing the institutional prescriptions of adaptive (co-)management from a governance perspective and defining a research agenda. Ecol Soc 14(1)
Jao C (ed) (2011) Efficient decision support systems—practice and challenges from current to future. InTech. doi:10.5772/682
Mitchell B (1990) Integrated water management: international experiences and perspectives. Belhaven Press, London
Mohajeri S, Dierich A (2008) Targets for the Iranian wastewater sector. Future prospects and strategic approaches, Report for the World Bank, inter 3, Berlin
Mohajeri S, Nuñez von Voigt T (2011) Integrated water resources management in Iran. Isfahan, Iran: successfully shaping international technology and knowledge transfer. In: Water wastewater technology WWT international. Trade journal for water and wastewater management. Special issue 2011. HUSS-MEDIEN GmbH, Berlin, pp 29–32
Mohajeri S, Raber W, Ghanavizchian S (2013) Industrial water consumption in the catchment. Project report, inter 3, Berlin
Mohajeri S, Hempel L, Dierich A (2009a) Analysis of the current organizational structure and legal framework of the Iranian water sector. Identification of strengths, weaknesses and challenges for future development, Report for the World Bank, inter 3, Berlin
Mohajeri S, Hempel L, Dierich A (2009b) Development of solutions regarding autonomy, decentralization and private sector in the Iranian water sector, Report for the World Bank, inter 3, Berlin
Moss T (2003) Solving problems of ‘fit’ at the expense of problems of ‘interplay’? The spatial reorganisation of water management following the EU water framework directive. In: Breit H et al (eds) How Institutions Change—perspectives on social learning in global and local environmental contexts. Leske + Budrich, Opladen, pp 85–122
Moss T (2004) The governance of land use in river basins: prospects for overcoming problems of institutional interplay with the EU water framework directive. Land Use Policy 21:85–94
Mostert E (2006) Participation for sustainable water management. In: Giupponi C, Jakeman AJ, Karssenberg D, Hare MP (2006) sustainable management of water resources—an integrated approach. Edward Elgar Publishing. doi:10.4337/9780857937117, p 153ff
Nadjari H (2004) Gavkhoni: international wetland in Isfahan. Department of the Environment, Islamic Republic, Teheran, Iran
Nikouei A, Zibaei M, Ward FA (2012) Incentives to adopt water saving measures from wetlands preservation: an integrated basin scale analysis. Elsevier: J Hydrol
NWWEC (National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company), inter 3 (2009) Institutional optimization study for the water and wastewater sector in Iran. Report for the World Bank, Berlin
Rogers P, Hall AW (2003) Effective water governance. TEC background papers no 7. Global Water Partnership—Technical Committee (TEC), Stockholm
Safaei M, Safavi H, Loucks DP, Ahmadi A, van der Krogt W (2013) Integrated river basin planning and management: a case study of the Zayandehrud River basin, Iran. In: Water international, vol 36, issue 6. doi:10.1080/02508060.2013.823815
Saleth RM, Dinar A (2000) Institutional changes in global water sector: trends, patterns, and implications. Water Policy 2:175–199
Saravanan VS, McDonald GT, Mollinga PP (2008) Critical review of integrated water resources management: moving beyond polarised discourse. ZEF working paper series no 29, Bonn
Schlager E, Blomquist W (2008) Embracing watershed politics. University Press of Colorado, Boulder
Serrat-Capdevila A, Valdes JB, Gupta HV (2011) Decision support systems in water resources planning and management: stakeholder participation and the sustainable path to science-based decision making. In: Jao C (ed) Efficient decision support systems—practice and challenges from current to future. InTech. doi:10.5772/16897
Shafaghi S (2003) Geography of Esfahan. Isfahan University Publishing, Isfahan, Iran
Soltani Z, Shaykh BR, Chaman MM (2009) Conservation of international ecotourism attractions (case study: Gavkhuni Swamp in Iran). J Environ Res Dev 4(2):594–600
Stiftung Bertelsmann (2012) BTI (Bertelsmann Stiftung’s transformation index) 2012 Iran country report. Bertelsmann Stiftung, Gütersloh
UN DESA (2008) Status of implementation of CSD-13 policy actions on water and sanitation—a country level survey. New York
UNEP (2012) The UN-water status report on the application of integrated approaches to water resources management. Nairobi, Kenya
Young OR (1999) Institutional dimensions of global environmental change. IHDP report no 9. Bonn, IHDP
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Mohajeri, S., Horlemann, L., Sklorz, S., Kaltofen, M., Ghanavizchian, S., Nuñez von Voigt, T. (2016). Integrated Water Resource Management in Isfahan: The Zayandeh Rud Catchment. In: Borchardt, D., Bogardi, J., Ibisch, R. (eds) Integrated Water Resources Management: Concept, Research and Implementation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25071-7_23
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25071-7_23
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-25069-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-25071-7
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)