Document Type : Article extracted From phd dissertation
Authors
1
Department of Political Geography. Faculty of Geography. University of Tehran. Tehran. Iran.
2
Department of political geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
3
Department of political Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
4
Department of Political Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Political ecology of water encompasses the political, social, and economic dimensions of water resource management in a broader ecological context, examining how political dynamics and power influence the distribution, access, and control of water resources. Poverty and water scarcity in central and eastern regions of Iran have led governments to address this shortage and meet the increasing demand for water by implementing water transfer projects from the Oman Sea and the Persian Gulf.
This research, employing a descriptive-analytical method, seeks to identify influential components from the perspective of political ecology in the water transfer project. The findings indicate that the perspectives of the political ecology of water in Iran are based on power considerations in the quest for a common ground among water, infrastructure, and political foundations. It explores who decides on water systems and how historical, cultural, and socio-economic actions have led to the preservation of unequal water distribution in Iran. The research also reveals that the most significant components influencing the political ecology of water in this project include climate change, improper location of water industries in dry and water-scarce areas, self-centered control in the agricultural sector, legislative and managerial negligence towards excessive extraction and use of surface and groundwater resources, the dominance of thought in creating water structures, the role of parliamentarians in inter-basin and inter-provincial water transfer, the flawed decision-making process, government ownership of water, the inefficiency of the water economic system, water management privatization and its consequences for justice, and misguided development policies in Iran. Consequently, power relations have given rise to conflicts and tensions related to water resources in this region, leading to intense competition in the distribution and utilization of these resources.
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