Analyzing the Groundwater Resources Sustainability Management plan in Iran through Comparative Studies

Abstract

In the past few decades numerous natural and human-induced changes have led to decreases in the quantity and quality of water resources in Iran. The country's groundwater resources are currently in critical condition due to overexploitation and recent droughts. The decline in groundwater aquifer levels has led to serious restrictions in more than 404 of 609 study areas, and to a cumulative storage deficit of around 130 billion cubic meters in groundwater resources. In 2014, implementation of the Groundwater Resources Sustainability Management Plan was approved by the Ministry of Energy to reduce groundwater abstraction. The project aims to reconcile water withdrawal rates with the natural recharge capacity of these resources, and to restore the storage capacity lost in the last 20 years. Currently, despite the Ministry of Energy's efforts over the last 5 years to develop a water sustainability plan, the downward trend in groundwater levels has not only continued, but has accelerated. To discover the reasons for this failure, pathological factors in the process were analyzed by identifying commonalities and differences in comparison to experiences in other countries. The experiences of different countries in the field of water sustainability were evaluated to assess the status of sustainability plans in Iran. Leading countries in the implementation of groundwater resources sustainability management were identified, and laws pertinent to sustainability in these countries were studied for potential implementation to improve the water sustainability plan in Iran. Based on the investigation of the sustainability plan in comparison to experiences in other countries, suggestions are offered in four areas – organizational and structural management, information management, human resource management, and water supply through financial management – to improve the Groundwater Resources Sustainability Management Plan in Iran. According to the results of the present comparative analysis, water governance structures and local community participation need to be improved in order to strengthen the effectiveness of the national sustainability plan. Water resource management should take place in a democratic manner with the participation and consent of all stakeholders, and should follow integrated and adaptive management guidelines. Otherwise, water resource management and sustainability are unlikely to be optimized, and the tangible outcomes of continued failure are unforeseeable.