An analysis of why rehabilitation and balancing programs for aquifers do not meet water organizations' targets

عنوان:
An analysis of why rehabilitation and balancing programs for aquifers do not meet water organizations' targets (a case study of the Qazvin aquifer in Iran)

نویسندگان:
Masoumeh Hashemi, Hamed Mazandarani Zadeh, Mahdi Zarghami

منتشر شده در Agricultural Water ManagementVolume 281, 1 May 2023, 108258

Abstract:
Iran experiences insufficient precipitation, resulting in excessive use of groundwater resources, leading to
negative water balances in many plains. As a result, the Ministry of Energy began implementing the Groundwater
Rehabilitation and Balancing Plan (GRBP) in 2006 to replenish the aquifers. The plan includes measures such as
Blocking Illegal Wells (BIW), Equipping Wells with Volumetric Meters (EWVM), Increasing Patrol and Control
(IPC), and inspecting the degree of exploitation of groundwater, etc. In this study, researchers examined the level
of social agreement between farmers and experts on the effectiveness of the Ministry of Energy’s policies for the
GRBP and assessed the farmers’ response to droughts in this descriptive-analytic study. The data were collected
using questionnaires designed in Likert scale, and they were analyzed in R programming language using the ttest, independent-sample t-test, and Friedman test. It was found that 84% and 58% of the farmers have negative
attitudes towards BIW and IPC respectively. Farmers have demonstrated the greatest level of cooperation (90%),
towards the use of pressured irrigation system (IPIS). The study revealed that farmers and experts disagree about
the effectiveness of all measures in reviving and balancing groundwater resources. Farmers are not willing to
cooperate with the government on the implementation of measures that limit their agricultural freedom. According to Friedman’s results, unlike farmers, experts prefer structural and procedural measures, such as
blocking unauthorized wells, instead of relying on educational methods and culturalization. This study demonstrates how understating and discrediting farmers’ roles in sustainable water resources and constructing a
monocentric governance system has led to the current situation, which is not ideal for groundwater
sustainability