Water Resources in Iran and the Reasons for Establishing River Basin Organizations: Review of the First Experience for Zayandeh Rud

Abstract

Water management in Iran is shaped by extreme climatic conditions, a precarious situation of renewable fresh water and groundwater resources, increasing water consumption and growing threats for the health of people and the environment due to water pollution. Anthropogenic and environmental effects on the state of water resources, but also a lack of integrated policy approaches at catchment level, have encouraged the Iranian government to establish river basin organizations (RBOs), starting with the RBO Zayandeh Rud as a pilot. RBOs are usually considered the appropriate institution for implementing integrated water resources management (IWRM), as they can act as coordinating bodies between the sectors and governance levels. Current difficulties in the creation of an effective RBO Zayandeh Rud can be explained by the prevailing dominance of the central government in water management decision-making, but also due to a lack of mechanisms for balancing the interests of provinces, governmental institutions and water using sectors.