Pathology of Water Resource Management in Iran (Case Study: Zanjan Province)

The geographic location of Iran and its large sections on the global dry belt have made water a major concern. Meanwhile, Zanjan province as one of the internal space units in the past few years has faced numerous problems in the field of water resources. Reduction of water volume, subsidence of plains, decrease of groundwater and also negative changes in Caspian basin and central basins as two important watersheds related to this province, to water issue and political, social, economic and biological consequences - The environment in this province has been very important. In this regard, the present study uses a descriptive-analytical methodology to assess the management of water resources in Zanjan province in two dimensions: "having power institutions" and "status of the province in the upstream document of the country's plan". The results indicate that among the institutions related to the water domain, such as the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Interior, none of the ministers during the various periods of government in Iran was from Zanjan province. In addition, Zanjan province is located in the upper reaches of the country, as a marginal area under the central core of Tehran. The collection of these two processes has led to the imposition of policies related to water resources from the center to the province. Due to centralization and lack of attention to localism, these policies have failed to make efficient planning for Zanjan province water resources management.