Explaining the Factors Influencing Sustainable Water Resource Governance in Drought-Prone Rural Areas (A Case Study of Rural Areas Surrounding Parishan Lake)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University

2 Department of Water Engineering, Faculty of Technology and Engineering

Abstract

The water scarcity crisis in Iran’s rural communities, especially within internal basins, stems not only from natural limits and climate change but also from weak decision making and water resource governance. Villages around Lake Pirashan have suffered steep declines in surface and groundwater, resulting in lower agricultural yields and unsustainable livelihoods. These conditions have heightened local conflict and reduced social participation, highlighting the need to investigate the drivers of sustainable water governance. This study maps the causal structure and network weights of six interrelated dimensions—cultural, infrastructural, environmental, social, economic, and institutional organizational—along with 22 associated variables. Data were collected through documentary review, field observations, and a Dempster–Shafer questionnaire administered to 30 local experts. Analysis employed a combined Dempster model. Results show the institutional organizational dimension as the most influential factor (Ri = 3934/8; Ri − Cj = 1204/8 +), while the social dimension displays the greatest sensitivity (Cj = 3688/8; Ri − Cj = 1252/8 −). The causal–moderating analysis places institutional organizational and cultural dimensions in the causal group, social, economic, and infrastructural in the moderating group, and environmental in equilibrium. Network weighting underscores the high importance of the cultural factor (2046/0) and ranks the institutional organizational dimension fifth (1501/0). These findings indicate that achieving sustainable water governance in Iran requires concurrent strengthening of institutional mechanisms and cultural components.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Geography and Environmental Sustainability

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 10 June 2026

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