Strategies for Enhancing User Participation in Water Resources Management in the Jiroft Region Using a Grounded Theory Approach

Drought and water crisis in Iran have threatened the process of economic, social and cultural development and it have impacted various aspects of people's lives.  Solving this crisis is beyond the capacity of the government alone, and it is essential  for all people, especially the users, to collaborate with the government in water management. Kerman province, especially south of the province, is one of the areas that have been severely affected by drought. Based on this, the current research was conducted with the aim of providing solutions to increase the participation of users in the water resources management of the Jiroft region through a qualitative approach, utilizing the grounded theory methodology. The statistical population consisted of 18 experts, specialists and academic faculty members who were selected using the purposeful sampling method. MAXQDA 12 software was used to analyze the data. The findings of the research showed that water resource management in the studied community is influenced by a set of contextual conditions and intermediary conditions and especially the strategies designed by water resource managers. Also, the results of the research showed that people's participation is effective as a central phenomenon in this field. Based on this, creating opportunities for the participation of users, increasing the relationship between the government and agricultural users, increasing the awareness of farmers and forming Cooperative of water users are among the most important strategies for the development of participation in the management of water resources in Jiroft City County. In addition, reforming water governance and formulating appropriate strategies can lead to the improvement of water resources.