The Impact of Legal and Political Shift Crisis on the Socio-Economic Structure of the ZayandeRud Valley

In pre-modern Iran, water rights played a significant role in determining the rent paid to the landlords. Irrigated agriculture relying on water sources in far-away mountains and valleys was nearly impossible. Control of distant water was only a wishful thinking reflected in the myths. In modern times, advanced technologies have changed this picture : Dams, canals, and deep wells bridge the distance between water source and water use and in the process transform the legal property and ownership structure. This new possibility has gradually transformed the legal and political foundations of hydraulic authority in Iran. The power to determine ownership of water has shifted from the downstream users to upstream users. The political boundaries of provinces in turn add to the complexity of this problem.
ZayandeRud is the only permanent river in the Iranian central plateau, originating in the Zagros Mountains, and draining into the Gavkhouni marsh after a 480 kilometers journey. It originates in the mountainous province of Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari and travels through the flat fields of Esfahan province. The historical city of Esfahan and the regional settlements around it would not have been there without Zayanderud River. The oldest historical records indicate that all the people and cultivators living in the vicinity of the river used to have a right to its water, albeit within certain established rules. These old institutions of water rights are being transformed by the emergence of new local political players. Dam construction in the upstream was the first major catalyst in this regard. This dam allowed the upstream users to have access to the water of Zayanderud, the first impact of which is now becoming apparent by the drying of the marshlands. More water is now being diverted by upstream users for industrial and agricultural purposes, leaving little water for downstream cultivators around the marsh. With the support of local political and judiciary authorities, a massive network of pipelines is being built to divert more water for upstream gardens. These fast paced is resulting in the destruction of the river ecosystems along with Gavkhouni, soil collapse in watershed area, lack of water for cultivation for downstream agriculture, unemployment among downstream farmers, and a painful shift in economic gains, and a transformation of urban life that is leaving deep scars on urban dwellers, especially in Esfahan. This article tries to investigate this shift and its socio-economic consequences.