Institutional constraints to groundwater resource management in arid and semi-arid regions: a Straussian grounded theory study

Abstract

As institutions are key pillars of groundwater resource management (GRM) it is important to determine the institutional constraints to GRM. This study used qualitative research methods to identify such constraints in western Iran. The participants were 37 key informants involved in GRM in Khorramabad county, including experts, representatives of relevant authorities, and members of local institutions. Snowball sampling was used to select the sample. Participants underwent in-depth individual interviews that were documented and transcribed for qualitative analysis. Open coding revealed 260 codes and 54 subcategories relevant to institutional constraints to GRM, which were further classified using axial coding. Using selective coding, a storyline was created, detailing the relationships among several of the categories, subcategories, and concepts. The results showed that the main phenomenon is “institutional structural and functional weakness”. Some conditions are contextual and allow the phenomenon to occur and some conditions have affected it. Regarding the contextual conditions, some cultural elements act as barriers to GRM. The inability of institutions involved in GRM to deal with unauthorized actors because of legal weakness (in both formulation and enforcement) also affects the phenomenon. In addition, weak organizational management due to centralized planning and complex bureaucracy affect the phenomenon. This research on causal conditions also indicates that groundwater exploitation in the form of drilling unauthorized wells and engaging in unplanned and unauthorized extraction is the most important cause of the phenomenon. The most important strategy of the institutions to overcome the phenomenon is to implement water engineering and control measures.