An Analysis of the Impacts of Good Governance on Water Resource Management (Study Area: Zanjan County)

Water resources management in rural areas of Iran is confronted with a set of complex and intertwined challenges, including climate change, unsustainable exploitation of groundwater, institutional weakness, lack of coordination among executive bodies, and neglect of local capacities. Zanjan County, as one of the agriculturally promising regions of the country, has recently faced increasing water stress, declining groundwater levels, and a noticeable drop in agricultural productivity. Accordingly, this study was conducted to examine the role of good governance components in improving the water resources management system in the rural areas of this county. This applied research employed a descriptive–analytical method. Data were collected through library studies, field investigations, and questionnaire completion. The validity of the indicators was confirmed by 15 experts in water and rural development, and the reliability of the instrument was calculated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.75. The statistical population included households residing in 248 villages of Zanjan County, from which 54 villages were selected through stratified random sampling. Based on Cochran’s formula, the final sample size was determined to be 451 households. Data analysis was conducted using statistical tests and structural equation modeling (SEM) in SPSS and AMOS software. The results showed that the water governance indicators were below the desirable level, with the lowest means related to performance transparency (mean = 2.17) and institutional accountability (mean = 2.83), while social justice had the highest impact on participatory water management (β = 0.518). The average scores of efficiency, accountability, transparency, participation, rule of law, social justice, responsibility, and collective consensus all reflected institutional and managerial weaknesses in the rural water governance structure. Based on the findings, equity in resource distribution, strengthening inter-institutional coordination, and enhancing local participation are considered the most important strategies for improving governance and ensuring the sustainability of water resources.