Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Qanat is not a hazard

Rebuttal to “Qanat hazard in Iranian urban areas: explanation and remedies” by Abbasnejad A, Abbasnejad B, Derakhshani R, Hemmati Sarapardeh A (Environ Earth Sci 2016; 75: 1306)

  • Rebuttal
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Comments are presented on the article by Abbasnejad et al. (Environ Earth Sci 75:1306, 2016) dealing with qanat and hazards in Iran. My rebuttal starts from the direct attribution of the described hazards to qanat and addresses the importance in the correct use of terminology for geological hazards. All of the problems pointed out in Iran (subsidence, sinkholes, pollution) have, to me, an anthropogenic origin and cannot be directly ascribed to qanat. Eventually, I present some additional elements to highlight the remarkable importance of qanat systems and their influence on the development of similar underground structures in many countries of the Mediterranean Basin. This remarks the relevance of qanat as cultural heritage sites and the need for their preservation and valorization.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abbasnejad A, Abbasnejad B, Derakhshani R, Hemmati Sarapardeh A (2016) Qanat hazard in Iranian urban areas: explanation and remedies. Environ Earth Sci 75:1306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aley T (2000) Water and land-use problems in areas of conduit aquifers. In: Klimchouk AB, Ford DC, Palmer AN, Dreybrodt W (eds) Speleogenesis. Evolution of karst aquifers. National Speleological Society, Huntsville, pp 481–484

    Google Scholar 

  • Al-Taiee TM (2012) Kahrezes (Qanats)… A ground water harvesting technology in arid and semi arid regions. In: Proceedings of 3rd IWA Spec Conf on “Water and Wastewater Technologies in Ancient Civilizations”, Istanbul, 22–24 March 2012, pp 14–22

  • Ashby T (1935) The aqueducts of ancient Rome. Clarendon Press, Oxford, p 132

  • Bakalowicz M (2005) Karst groundwater: a challenge for new resources. Hydrogeol J 13:148–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bates RL, Jackson JA (1987) Glossary of geology: American geological institute. Alexandria, Virginia

    Google Scholar 

  • Bixio R, Parise M, Saj S, Traverso M (2007) L’acquedotto sotterraneo di Gravina in Puglia “Sant’Angelo: Fontane della Stella”. Opera Ipogea 1–2:105–112

    Google Scholar 

  • Bobée C (2002) Essai d’interpretation du fonctionnement des aqueducs romains de Nimes et de Frejus. Memoire de DEA Environnement et archeologie, pp 41

  • Brinkmann R, Parise M (2012) Karst environments: problems, management, human impacts, and sustainability. An introduction to the special issue. J Cave Karst Stud 74(2):135–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castellani V, Dragoni W (1991) Italian tunnels in antiquity. Tunn Tunn 23(3):55–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Castellani V, Caloi V, Dobosz T, Galeazzi C, Galeazzi S, Germani C (2003) L’emissario del Lago di Nemi. Indagine topografico-strutturale. Opera Ipogea 2(3):2–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Coch NK (1995) Geohazards: natural and human. Prentice Hall, New Jersey

    Google Scholar 

  • Del Prete S, Parise M (2013) An overview of the geological and morphological constraints in the excavation of artificial cavities. In: Filippi M, Bosak P (eds) Proceedings of 16th Int Congr Speleology, Brno, 21–28 July 2013, vol 2, pp 236–241

  • Djalante R (2012) Adaptive governance and resilience: the role of multi-stakeholder platforms in disaster risk reduction. Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 12:2923–2942

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • English PW (1968) The origin and spread of qanats in the Old World. Proc Am Philos Soc 112(3):170–181

    Google Scholar 

  • Eslamian S, Okhravi SS, Faziolahi H, Eslamian F (2012) Sustainable management of water resources with techniques of rainwater harvesting in ancient and present. In: Proceedings of 3rd IWA Spec Conf on “Water and Wastewater Technologies in Ancient Civilizations”, Istanbul, 22–24 March 2012, pp 252–258

  • ESTEPA (2008) Las galerias drenantes en Espana. Analisis y seleccion de qanat(s). Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, y Medio Rural y Marino. ISBN 978-84-8320-453-5

  • Ford D, Williams PW (2007) Karst hydrogeology and geomorphology. Wiley, Hoboken

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Frumkin A (1999) Interaction between karst, water and agriculture over the climatic gradient of Israel. Int J Speleol 26B(1/4):99–110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galeazzi C, Germani C, Parise M (2012) Gli antichi emissari artificiali dei bacini endoreici. Opera Ipogea 1:3–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Gutiérrez F, Parise M, De Waele J, Jourde H (2014) A review on natural and human-induced geohazards and impacts in karst. Earth Sci Rev 138:61–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Judson S, Kahane A (1963) Underground drainageways in southern Etruria and northern Latium. Pap Br Sch Rome 31:74–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kleina RJT, Nicholls RJ, Thomalla F (2003) Resilience to natural hazards: how useful is this concept? Environ Hazards 5:35–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koloski Ostrow AO (ed) (2001) Water use and hydraulics in the Roman city. Archaeological Institute of America, Colloquia and Conf. Papers no. 3, Kendall/Hunt Publ. Co. pp 131

  • Laureano P (2001) Water atlas. Traditional knowledge to combat desertification. Bollati Boringhieri, Torino

    Google Scholar 

  • Laureano P (2009) Ancient water management techniques to contrast drought and desertification in the Mediterranean. In: Proceedings of IWA 2nd Int Symp “Water and Wastewater Technologies in Ancient Civilizations”, May 28–30, 2009, Bari

  • Lei Y, Wang J, Yue Y, Zhou H, Yin W (2014) Rethinking the relationships of vulnerability, resilience, and adaptation from a disaster risk perspective. Nat Hazards 70:609–627

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leucci G, Parise M, Sammarco M, Scardozzi G (2016) The use of geophysical prospections to map ancient hydraulic works: the Triglio underground aqueduct (Apulia, Southern Italy). Archaeol Prospect 23:195–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lightfoot DR (1996) Syrian qanat Romani: history, ecology, abandonment. J Arid Environ 33:321–336

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mays LW, Koutsoyiannis D, Angelakis AN (2007) A brief history of urban water supply in the antiquity. Water Sci Technol Water Supply 7(1):1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parise M (2012) A present risk from past activities: sinkhole occurrence above underground quarries. Carbonates Evaporites 27(2):109–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parise M (2013) Recognition of instability features in artificial cavities. In: Filippi M, Bosak P (eds) Proceedings of 16th Int Congr Speleology, Brno, 21–28 July 2013, vol 2, pp 224–229

  • Parise M (2015) A procedure for evaluating the susceptibility to natural and anthropogenic sinkholes. Georisk 9(4):272–285. doi:10.1080/17499518.2015.1045002

    Google Scholar 

  • Parise M, Gunn J (eds) (2007) Natural and anthropogenic hazards in karst areas: recognition, analysis and mitigation. Geol Soc, London, sp publ 279

  • Parise M, Sammarco M (2015) The historical use of water resources in karst. Environ Earth Sci 74:143–152. doi:10.1007/s12665-014-3685-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parise M, Galeazzi C, Bixio R, Dixon M (2013) Classification of artificial cavities: a first contribution by the UIS Commission. In: Filippi M, Bosak P (eds) Proceedings of 16th Int Congr Speleology, vol 2, pp 230–235

  • Parise M, Closson D, Gutierrez F, Stevanovic Z (2014) Facing engineering problems in the fragile karst environment. In: Lollino G, Manconi A, Guzzetti F, Culshaw M, Bobrowsky P, Luino F (eds), Engineering geology for society and territory. Volume 5: Urban Geology, Sustainable Planning and Landscape Exploitation. Springer, pp 479–482. ISBN 978-3-319-09047-4

  • Parise M, Galeazzi C, Germani C, Bixio R, Del Prete S, Sammarco M (2015) The map of ancient underground aqueducts in Italy: updating of the project, and future perspectives. In: Proceedings of the International Congress in Artificial Cavities “Hypogea 2015”, Rome, March 11–17, 2015, pp 235–243. ISBN 978-88-89731-79-6

  • Stevanovic Z (2013) Global trend and negative synergy: climate changes and groundwater over-extraction. In: Proceedings of Int Conf ‘‘Climate change impact on water resources’’, 17–18 Oct. 2013, Institute of Wat. Manag. J.Cerni & WSDAC, Belgrade, pp 42–45

  • Taheri K, Taheri M, Parise M (2016) Impact of intensive groundwater exploitation on an unprotected covered karst aquifer: a case study in Kermanshah Province, western Iran. Environ Earth Sci 75:1221. doi:10.1007/s12665-016-5995-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tassios TP (2007) Water supply of ancient Greek cities. Water Sci Technol Water Supply 7(1):165–172

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Varnes DJ (1984) Landslide hazard zonation: a review of principles and practice. UNESCO, Paris, p 63

    Google Scholar 

  • Volant Ph, Levret A, Carbon D, Scotti O, Combescure D, Verdel T, Piant A, Laurent Ph (2009) An archeo-seismological study of the Nimes Roman aqueduct, France: indirect evidence for an M6 seismic event? Nat Hazards 49:53–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Voudouris KS, Christodoulakos Y, Steiakakis E, Angelakis AN (2013) Hydrogeological characteristics of Hellenic aqueducts-like Qanats. Water 5:1326–1345

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waltham T, Bell F, Culshaw M (2005) Sinkholes and subsidence. Springer, Chichester

    Google Scholar 

  • White WB (1988) Geomorphology and hydrology of karst terrains. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Wulff HE (1968) The aqueducts of Iran. Sci Am 218:94–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Research for the Geo-Hydrological Protection, Via Amendola 122-I, 70126, Bari, Italy

    Mario Parise

Authors
  1. Mario Parise
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mario Parise.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Parise, M. Qanat is not a hazard. Environ Earth Sci 75, 1476 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-6284-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-6284-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation