فصلنامه مطالعات میان رشته ای در علوم انسانی
سال نهم شماره 4 (پیاپی 36، پاییز 1396)

The subject of this study concerns Urmia Lake which is one of the most valuable water habitats in Iran and investigation of crisis in the drop n of water level, significant decrease in the lake’s surface area and increase in its salinity.. In order to have better understanding of the processes that affect the lake's water level fluctuations and assess the contributions of every responsible parameter, System water consumption was designed. System water consumption was designed in The Lake Basin in the Vensim and the effects of each variable on the water level of the lake were evaluated using a set of different scenarios The findings suggest that in comparison to other variables, the operation of dams (26%) as well as an increase of water requirement (16%) by variables have played a role in reducing the input to the lake. Climate variables had an effect of 16% within the time span of 1999-2014. Although Hydrograph indicates the aquifer deterioration in some of them, the entrance to the lake water budget is negligible

Iran has reached critical level of water crisis, although long been facing water scarcity. Currently, the belief gained ground that the challenges of today and tomorrow are more related to poor governance than water shortage and the main strategy to cope with water crisis lies in water governance reform. The new research agenda of water governance underlines on interdisciplinary examination of theories drawn from public economics, institutional economics, political economy and public administration. The aim of this study is to analysis the past and present sustainability of water governance in Zayandeh-Rood basin. By combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, data were collected through documentary and survey research by structured interviews with 171 farmers and 68 experts. The results showed that the current water governance is not favorable with equity, effectiveness and efficiency, transparency, accountability, responsiveness, coherency, participation and rule of law principles. Further, this study tried to explain the fundamental principles of sustainability in traditional water governance which can facilitate the transition to effective and fit-for-purpose water governance.

The dependence of the agricultural sector to water input is undeniable. In the era of information and communication, due to population growth and limited water resources, it is essential to employee information and communication technologies in order to provide food for people. This interdisciplinary article, considering Agricultural, Information Technology, Management and Geography sciences; has tried to analyze the role of ICT in agricultural water use optimization using soft system approach that is the methodology of systematic thinking approach in management science. The issue of water use in agriculture has structural complexity, and the different stakeholders, have different views on it. Therefore, it is considered a soft issue. In this study, the basic question is answered that ICT through what mechanism could help to refine the pattern of water use in agriculture. The population of the study was all the farmers located in the Gavkhooni zone (N =145381) and a number of statistical sample was estimated at 383 using Cochran's formula. Using questionnaire required information was collected. Also, using semi-structured interviews with experts and officials of relevant agencies, stakeholder's views on the issue were identified. In the end, some suggestions for how to use ICT to solve this problem are presented. The results showed that from the viewpoints of stakeholders, an irrigation system through notification to farmers can help them in decision-making related to irrigation and can be effective in the amount of water use by farmers. Of course, setting up such a system demands of coordination between the concerned authorities and training the primary consumers.

One of the most serious issues facing humanity is the water crisis that requires systematic and immediate action. It has been addressed from different viewpoints across academic disciplines. In this paper, the most important dimensions between water and some areas of human sciences and sociology of humans are highlighted. The question of the role of water upon human life, its effects on the processes of civilization, and subsequently how the lack of water effects the relations between people, nations, and civilizations are the focus of this article. Likewise, it clarifies the problems through quantitative analysis. The conceptual focus of this paper is on the relationship between water and politics in Iran and the Middle East. After a literature of review, it demonstrates how water crisis can finally change the essence of ‘the politics’ tremendously while turning civilization into primitivism. Empirical facts such as water and war, or water and violence are used to support this claim. The paper concludes that water should be the subject for trans-disciplinary research. Its outcome, as a ‘problem identification’, paves the way for public policy to manage comprehensive plans and to cope with this huge crisis.

The crisis in global natural water will be an issue of concern in this century for several reasons. Some of them are population growth, climate changes and specifically unsustainable use of water resources that makes provision of safe drinking water one of the most important global concerns. As one of the human rights, the right to water will be a major concern. Undoubtedly, states have an international duty to ensure individual’s access to safe drinking water. But solving water crisis and finding further methods to use the water resources more sustainably shall not be attainable without the participation of the private sector. The engagement of transnational enterprises with high financial, technical and human resources from the private sector in water provision and management with respect to the right to water, reveals the importance of reviewing the role and responsibility of private sector, specifically transnational corporations in implementation of right to water. The present article, choosing interdisciplinary approach, attempts to review the legal and ethical justifications of private enterprises’ responsibility for human right to water as well as determine the nature and scope of such responsibility as a financial entity, not as public interest provider.

Contrary to our current approachto water, as a colorless, odorless and tasteless liquid, Iranians were used to understand it as apurifier; the most precious substancewhich was dowry of their profit’s daughter, andthe resource of whole life on earth. The main aim of this article is to present an explanation for how the alteration of Iranian mentality on ýýwater has led to the excessive water consumption today by illuminating the factors which have ýýaffected this change.ý In pursuit of this goal, the article proceeds in five steps. First, the theoretical ýbasis which the paper relies on is discussed by using the psychology of advertising and cultural studies ýfindings; As a prologue for the historical account, a brief outline of water supernal value among Iranians ýbefore the modern era, through secondary written sources, is raised; Then urban water resources ýmanagement in Qajar Tehran is described by analyzing the data gained through historical maps and ýdocuments besides memories, both in macro and micro levels of the city ýþ þto show the physical ýorganization of water resources and problems associated with the operation of water; after that, Iranian ýmentality on water during Qajar period is explained based on historical evidence; and at the main ýpart, taking advantage of all the previous stages, it is discussed how the promotion of tap water has ýled to the alteration of water concept and its value in the Iranian mind; Finally, according to previous steps, two categories of ýstrategies and tactics for the propagation of optimizing water use is proposed.ý

The main purpose of this qualitative study carried out in a phenomenological manner was to pro- environmental analysis of the water and drought crisis scenario based on the theory of planned behavior of Ajzen from the view point of farmers in Ilam County. The theory of planned behavior was used to analyze Behavioral pattern. The study used a combination of psychology, anthropology sciences and technical knowledge of agriculture. The studied population of current research was framers who have faced with the most droughts in recent years and irrigation experts of office of jihad Agriculture of Ilam Township and crisis management experts of Ilam Governorship. Subjects were identified through snowball method. The data were collected using in-depth interviews and direct observation and were analyzed based on the clabzi pattern. The results showed that farmers employ indigenous ways such as changing crop patterns, feed store, changing the time of planting, livelihood diversification, restoration of waterways for the adaptation to drought and grazing dry farms, buying water from neighbors, reduce livestock, cut down the trees in order to cope with drought. The results of the experts population indicated that experts are doing actions in three phases before the crisis (integrated management of water resources and institutional capacity building), during the crisis (targeted support and planning system) and after the crisis (agricultural development and sustainable livelihoods).