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Water Management: Sacrificing Normative Practice Subverting the Traditions of Water Apportionment—‘Whose Justice? Which Rationality?’

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Abstract

Since current water governance patterns mandate cooperation and partnership within and between the actors in the hydrosystems, supplementary models are necessary to distinguish the roles and the rules of indoor actions which is why we extend a theory in the frameworks of philosophy of technology. This analysis is empirically grounded on the problematic hydrosystems of a river in central Iran, Zayandehrud. Following a modernist-holistic-based analysis, it illustrates how values in the water apportionment mechanisms are being reshaped. The article by using the theory of normative practice has scrutinised the tasks and the rules of the old and new water-management systems, Mirab. Subsequently according to such philosophical theory, it has argued that the conflicts over the cases are due to interference of structural and directional norms within them.

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Notes

  1. ein weg.

  2. Molle (2009) explains more details about this concept, in France ‘calming the wild river’ and in Spain dividing rivers into ‘administrative devisions’ and authorities were suggested.

  3. Refer to Dooyeweerd’s aspect theory.

  4. Utah State Agricultural College’s president was the first technical director of the Commission for Rural Improvement in Iran of this program.

  5. Qanats are gently sloping tunnels used to tap and convey shallow groundwater by gravity.

  6. However, Qureshi (2002) differentiates between four similar positions for a Mirab’s management throughout the traditional hydrosystems: small-scale, large-scale, shallow wells, and springs.

  7. .

  8. In the Zoroastrianism and Islam.

  9. .

  10. .

  11. .

  12. The Tumar in traditional bureaucracy was used for very important rules. It could be argued that water allotment in this way has been crucial for users since the sixteenth century.

  13. .

  14. .

  15. Up to now, more than fifty companies such as the Mirab Company have been licensed by the Ministry of Energy.

  16. Contentment as a value for the locals.

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Acknowledgments

This research was made possible by a grant by Consultant Engineering Company Payandab Tavan in Iran, and the authors are grateful for the fund. In addition, thanks are presented to Claire Taylor for proofreading and to the anonymous reviewers whose suggestions improved this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

    Mehdi F. Harandi

  2. Department of Science Education and Communication, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

    Mahdi G. Nia

  3. Department of Values, Technology and Innovation, Section of Ethics/Philosophy of Technology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

    Marc J. de Vries

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  1. Mehdi F. Harandi
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Correspondence to Mehdi F. Harandi.

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Harandi, M.F., Nia, M.G. & de Vries, M.J. Water Management: Sacrificing Normative Practice Subverting the Traditions of Water Apportionment—‘Whose Justice? Which Rationality?’. Sci Eng Ethics 21, 1241–1269 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-014-9593-1

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