Issues and Challenges of Participatory Management and Sustainable Irrigation Management Transfer in Iran | ||
| تحقیقات مهندسی سازه های آبیاری و زهکشی | ||
| Volume 25, Issue 95, October 2024, Pages 110-93 PDF (638.01 K) | ||
| Document Type: technical paper | ||
| DOI: 10.22092/idser.2024.366787.1588 | ||
| Author | ||
| Nader Heydari* | ||
| Associate Professor; Agricultural Engineering Research Institute (AERI); Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO); Karaj; Iran | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Participatory irrigation management (PIM) and at utmost level irrigation management transfer (IMT) are processes that have been carried out in the water sector of most countries all around the world for more than two decades. In Iran, such activities have also been carried out in different aspects including mainstreaming of its literature; entering it into the programs, laws, and macro-level policies, the establishment of a few number of Water Users Associations (WUA), and implementing PIM on a limited scale and in some pilot projects in recent years. According to surveys, the process of this issue in the country has been slow, scattered and has faced different problems and challenges. The review of scientific sources and the investigation and analysis carried out for the problem finding regarding the subject in this study indicate that the implementation of the PIM and IMT programs have various issues and challenges in Iran, which important ones are:1) issues of being in charge of the matter, 2) lack of necessary coordination, parallel work and interference of different agencies in each other's affairs 3) absence or lack of necessary determination and will regarding the issue despite its importance and different emphasis in the laws and macro-level documents, 4) the long time passed and the necessity of various changes in the structure of water management due to the growing crisis of water shortage in the country, 5) centralization and not having or not giving the necessary place to WUA from the aspects of the structure, the description of duties and authorities and their ultimate independence, 6) weaknesses in the empowerment of WUA and necessary facilitations for their formation and sustainability, 7) lack of necessary infrastructures and inconvenience of work from various aspects such as non-volumetric delivery of water, closure and or non-implementation of some related laws and regulations, indecision of the relevant organization in doing their work, and competition of water distribution companies to create WUA and relevant conflict of interest issues, 8) lack of necessary research and field studies regarding the issue, 9) the emergence of new challenges in the objectives of the subject and the introduction of some new terms in the discourse of the definition of WUA, specifically in Iran, such as the introduction of the term “land use” into the topic, i.e., calling it as water and land exploitation associations instead of just WUA, and 10) special issues and challenges in the creation and stability of well or underground water users associations (W-WUA). A lot of time (more than three decades) has passed since the introduction of PIM to the scientific and executive literature on water management. There is a long pause in its complete and effective implementation in Iran. During this period some new debates in the country's water management such as creating local water markets, water accounting, water reallocation, etc., have emerged. Moreover, the growing shortage of water resources and the issues of climate change over this period bring the continuation of PIM in the country into a new field and environment. All these necessitate newer studies for revisions in PIM and IMT implementation methods and approaches by taking into account the socio-cultural issues of the regions and on a case-by-case basis. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Exploitation system; Laws and policies; Stakeholder; Water Users; WUA | ||
| References | ||
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