Assessing the Groundwater Governance in Critical Forbidden Plains of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province (Emphasizing the effectiveness principle of OECD)

Today, two major threatening issues to groundwater are its reduction and destruction, which affects both the quantity and quality of these resources. Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari is a region that have faced to intensive decrease in groundwater resources in recent decades; Therefore, Shahrekord, Boroujen, Sefiddasht and Khanmirza plains were purposefully selected in order to study the effectiveness of groundwater governance using a mixed method. The data required was collected in the field method, that is, by conducting direct observation and interviewing 30 experts about effectiveness principle of the OECD. Findings show that annual extraction of 359.6m3 of groundwater and the consumption of 87.7 percent of it in the agricultural sector, along with the severe reduction of water resources and deficit of cumulative reservoir of aquifers (406.4m3 until 2018), consequences such as subsidence (up to 8 cm visible) and wells piping (up to 40 cm) It has followed in the research area. In this regard, assessing of indicators and parameters affecting groundwater governance shows that from the view-point of experts the "capacity" variable is the most effective, and the "policy coherence, appropriate scales within basin systems and clear roles and responsibilities" variables are the least effective; Therefore, effectiveness of groundwater governance in the territory of research is assessed as "low and weak" in such a way that the connection of this weakness with partiality in affairs causes multiplicity of users, excessive consumption of groundwater resources, reduction of water reserves, and most importantly, reason for prohibition and criticality of plains have been studied.