Abstract
Since ancient times, humans have mobilized huge efforts to counter water shortages and meet water demands in arid and semiarid areas. If, however, water issues existed on a local scale in the past, in the present and future these problems occur on national, regional, and global scales and could threaten peace keeping, food security, and eventually sustainable development. In Iran, a nation covering about 1,650,000 km2, the supply, transfer, and use of water are major concerns, just as they were in ancient times. At present, about 55% of the water consumed in Iran is provided from groundwater resources and 45% from surface water, and more than 90% of water resources are allocated to the agriculture sector. The freshwater shortage has caused an increase in saltwater consumption, especially in arid and semiarid zones. Misuse and unrestrained water resources and traditional irrigation systems have caused soil salinity, land degradation, and desertification problems. Increasing salinity in most water resources in Iran over the past 10 years has caused an intensive decline of soil and water quality. Therefore, one of the main economical and social strategies of the government of Iran must be management that optimizes the use of water resources to attain sustainable development.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Afkhami A, (1994), Disease and water supply: The Case of Cholera in 19th Century Iran, Department of History, Yale University
Allan, T. 1999. Productive efficiency and allocated efficiency; why water management may not solve the problem. Auricular Water Management Journal 40 (10): 71–75.
Amiraslani, F., and G. Zehtabian. 2006. Underground water resources and their usage in dryland ecosystem in Iran. 1st International Conference on Water, Ecosystems and Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Zones, Urumqi, China, October 19–25, 2006.
Barker, R., and D. Dawe. 2001. Economics of Water Input and Water Productivity in Managing Water for Agriculture. Water Productivity Workshop, International Water Management Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Cabangon, R.J. 1999. Comparing water accounting to assesses the productivity of water. Journal of Water Resources Development 15:55–72.
Dinar, A., J. Letey, and K. Knapp. 2003. Economic evaluation of salinity drainage and non-uniformity of infiltrated irrigation water. Journal of Agricultural Water Management 10 (3): 221–233.
Gharaman, B., and A.R. Sepaskha. 1997. Optimum deficit irrigation on cotton and potato fields in a semi-arid region of Iran. Journal of Science and Technology 21:395–405.
International Center on Qanats and Traditional Hydraulic Structures http://www.qanat.info/en/index.php.
Kadekodi, G.K. 2001. Subject 1: Valuation of Natural and Environment Resources; Methodology and Estimation. Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics 56.
Kashkuli, H., and A. Hosseinizare. 2004. Long term effects of new irrigation projects on river quality for agricultural and domestic use in Khuzestan province, Iran. International Conference on Agricultural Effects on Ground and Surface Waters. Wageningen, The Netherlands, October 1–4.
Keshavarz, A., N. Heydari, and S. Ashrafi. 2003. Management of agricultural water consumption, drought, and supply of water for future demand. 7th International Conference on Sustainable Development and Management of Dry Lands in the 21st century. Tehran, Iran, September 14–17, 2003.
Khosravi, H. 2005. Application of MEDALUS Model on Desertification of Kashan Aera. M.S. thesis, Faculty of Natural Resources, Tehran University, Iran.
Iranian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage. 2003. Water Productivity in Agriculture 83.
Iranian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage. 2002a. Agricultural Drainage (Socio-economic Impacts of Agricultural Water Management) no. 63.
Iranian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage. 2002b. Pricing Irrigation Water: a Literature Survey no. 64.
Mohammadian, A., and G. Zehtabian. 2006. The investigation of the upper-most function of restoration and maintenance of Qanats in Iran, a case study: Jan and Riz Watershed, Bohshehr Province. First International Conference on Water, Ecosystems and Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Zones, Urumqi, China, October 19–25, 2006.
Pearse, C. 1973. Qanats in the Old World: Horizontal Wells in the New. Journal of Range Management 26.
Qureshi, A.S. 2004. Development of IWMI-AREO collaborative research program to improve land and water management in Iran. Discussion paper presented at the joint IWMI-AREO workshop in Karaj, Iran, September 22–23, 2004.
Tamaab Organization. 2004. Water Resources Management in Iran. Consultancy Report, Tehran, Iran.
Wulff, H.E. 1968. The Qanats of Iran. Scientific American, April, 94–105.
Zehtabian, G. 2003. The effect of artificial recharge with flood spreading on groundwater resources and arid lands. Seventh International Conference on Development of Dry Lands, Tehran, Iran, September 14–17, 2003.
Zehtabian, G. and L. Sarabian. 2004. Investigation of soils and water salinization in Gonbad-Alagol plain, Journal of Biaban, University of Tehran 8 (1).
Zehtabian, G., and F. Amiraslani. 2006. The Investigation on the Reasons for Salinization of Soil and Water in Iranian Desert Lands. First International Conference on Water, Ecosystems and Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Zones, Urumqi, China, October 19–25, 2006.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Zehtabian, G., Khosravi, H., Ghodsi, M. (2010). High Demand in a Land of Water Scarcity: Iran. In: Schneier-Madanes, G., Courel, MF. (eds) Water and Sustainability in Arid Regions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2776-4_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2776-4_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-2775-7
Online ISBN: 978-90-481-2776-4
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)