Natural Resources Governance

Natural Resources Governance

Compilation of Long-Term Water Strategies by the Consensus of Experts According to the Upstream Documents in the Direction of the Country's Water Governance

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mahdi Zarghami 1
Mahsa Ghotbizadeh 2
Seyedeh Zahra Ghoreishi 3
1 Department of Water Governance, Faculty of Governance, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 2. Department of Water Civil Engineering, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran.
3 Australian National Center for the Public Awreness of Science, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
10.22059/jnrg.2024.374668.1009
Abstract
The current water resource management system in Iran was initiated 70 years ago and has evolved in relation to the country's specific historical and social conditions. Prior to the 1950s, no action had been taken in the country to develop a comprehensive water plan that could outline a long-term horizon in water development and governance. Water resource development plans were prepared in the form of seven-year and then five-year plans, focusing on a limited number of development projects. Therefore, the aim of this article is to present the results and achievements of the studies conducted on identifying and analyzing the status of the water sector in the country, and ultimately to provide executive strategies for formulating a long-term strategic document for the country's water sector and regulating laws in the Islamic Consultative Assembly. The methodology used in this research is based on interviews, questionnaires, and brainstorming sessions with 44 water experts from the Ministry of Energy, Iran Water Resources Management Company, Ministry of Agriculture Jihad, Environmental Protection Organization, National Meteorological Organization, Ministry of Interior, National Crisis Management Organization, Iran Water Policy Think Tank, National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company, Organization of Management and Planning of the Country, Parliament Research's Center, private sector companies, and 8 prominent universities in the country, and the SWOT framework for analyzing the results. Then, based on the calculated scores for internal and external factors, it was shown that a defensive position exists, and various strategies can be formulated to minimize the threats and weaknesses in the country's water sector. Furthermore, the vision and values statement and 23 strategies for the long-term water strategy document were defined and proposed. Then, the proposed strategies were prioritized. Therefore, given the importance of water management in the country based on the principles of good governance outlined in the introduced vision and the proposed strategies, the orientation of the Islamic Consultative Assembly in drafting water sector laws should be focused on the "Law on the Promotion of the Supreme Water Council,"the" Transparency Law" for water policy-making in the country, and the "Information Web Service Law" to facilitate access to water and weather information, transparency, and addressing conflicts of interest in the Islamic Consultative Assembly.
Keywords
Expert Consensus
law
long-term water strategies
SWOT Framework
Water Governance
Water Resources Management System in Iran
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Natural Resources Governance
Volume 1, Issue 2
Autumn 2024
Pages 151-165