The role of water resources in the land use planning in Talvar ‎Watershed, Kurdistan, Iran

The land use programming is vital since inappropriate land use can endanger soil and water resources in a region and reduce their quality and quantity for future generations. While land development based on its ability are always facing limitations. This research is conducted with a sustainable approach to manage water resources and land programming in line with make optimal use of limited land, soil and water in the watershed. For this purpose, the required information to prepare a development model based on the land potential, were collected. Using the ArcGIS software, essential maps including map of slope, altitude, driving directions, land form, hydrographic, soil and vegetation, and density, were derived. By combining layers of information, the lands abilities were extracted in term of 107 ecological units. The meteorological data, hydrometer and the sources and consumptions of water resources of the watershed were collected and analyzed. The results showed that 88.2 percent and 11.6 percent are currently the area of agriculture and orchards. While the watershed potential for these practices are as 78.9 and 19.1, respectively. However, lack of attention to the potential water resources of the region, which is mostly as groundwater, caused a drop in groundwater level about 0.85 m per year and consequently the risk of soil and water resources in the region. The results indicate the importance of integrated water resources management and natural potentials in sustainable development in the watershed.