Document Type : Original Article
Subjects
In general, water is an irreplaceable element, and for the continuation and survival of many living things, this rare but important commodity seems very necessary. Thus, in the life cycle, the dependence of many human activities and functions on water has been revealed, and today, the increasing lack of water, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, makes water consumption in the agricultural, industrial, and domestic sectors unbalanced. This issue has affected other aspects of people's lives and made it essential in various fields, especially politics and governance. Because one of the important tasks of governments at local to transnational scales is water supply and integrated management of water resources, which is one of the effective mechanisms in solving the problem of imbalance between available water resources and their various uses; Iran is in the arid and semi-arid belt of the world and is considered among the countries with limited water resources. Iran's share of the world's freshwater resources is lower than other regions. In this regard, Isfahan Province has experienced a complex situation in the field of water resources during recent decades until today. On the one hand, Isfahan Province has been based on agriculture. In addition to maintaining this characteristic, the province's industrial development planning has been given attention in recent decades, emphasizing water-bearing industries. On the other hand, climatic conditions and the decrease in rainfall have reduced the availability of water sources. As a result of these events and activities, sustainable access to water resources has become one of the main challenges for the officials and residents of the province.
The methodology governing the research is descriptive-analytical. The data needed for the research was collected using the library and field method (interview and questionnaire) and analyzed using the DEMATEL technique, FCOPRAS, and FSOARA combined model and Vensim software. In library studies and document review, the variables that affect local water governance and its effect on virtual water use in Isfahan Province were identified and evaluated in brainstorming sessions with experts. Finally, 26 factors were identified as effective factors in local water governance on use. Virtual water was detected in Isfahan Province.
Indicators based on 26 effective issues in local water governance regarding virtual water use in Isfahan Province have been studied and identified. Also, 26 experts have been used to check the variables. The degree of importance of indicators is determined by (J_i+R_i), and the relationship between criteria is determined by (J_i-R_i). If J_i-R_i>0, the corresponding criterion is effective, and if J_i-R_i<0, the corresponding criterion is effective. In other words, the higher the value of J + R, the more interaction that variable has with other system factors. Thus, variables such as the lack of a proper water governance structure in Isfahan Province, neglecting the necessity of spatial planning, social conflicts around the axis of water in Isfahan Province, the development of water industries in Isfahan Province, the lack of balance and communication between institutions and trustees for coordination and coherence in the field of governance, lack of reform of politics and lobbying in local water governance in Isfahan Province, decrease in the quality of water resources in Isfahan Province, lack of appropriate policies to improve and balance part of the perspective of water governance in Isfahan Province, lack of proportional cultivation pattern in Isfahan Province, incidence of drought and spread desertification in Isfahan Province, increase in population in the province and excessive consumption of water in different areas, existence of water mafia in Isfahan Province, unstable development and non-integrated allocation of water in Isfahan Province, expansion of marginalization due to economic damage, destruction of livelihoods dependent on agriculture and growth of inappropriate jobs and etc., indicate high interaction and strong systemic connection with other variables. On the other hand, the vertical vector (J-R) shows the influencing power of each factor. Therefore, the lack of appropriate water governance structure in Isfahan Province, the lack of attention to the necessity of spatial planning, the development of water-bearing industries in Isfahan Province, the lack of balance and communication between institutions and creditors for coordination and coherence, the lack of a proportional cultivation model in Isfahan Province, the incidence of drought and the spread of desertification In Isfahan Province, etc., the cause of this model is considered to be systemic and factors such as the expansion of marginalization due to economic damage, the lack of appropriate policies to improve and balance part of the water governance point of view in Isfahan Province, the existence of water mafia in Isfahan Province, Unsustainable development, economic threats caused by lack of agricultural products, insecurity of water resources in Isfahan Province, etc. are shown as handicaps. In general, if J-R is positive, the variable is considered a causal variable, and if it is negative, it is considered an effect.
In recent years, despite the growing crisis of water resources in Isfahan Province, as well as the excessive use of water resources and consumption, which indicates the existence of weak governance over water resources in the province, it has caused many officials to, and stakeholders should think of providing solutions to deal with this challenge. In this way, reducing many threats caused by water challenges in the province of Isfahan is necessary by using a favorable approach to local water governance and management. In this regard, virtual water should be considered as a new solution. The statistical data published by the Agricultural Jihad Organization and other institutions of the province indicate that despite the studies on changing the cultivation pattern, the need to pay attention to virtual water in the policy and planning field is still poorly understood. The foundation of such features and identifiers is to investigate the factors affecting local water governance in Isfahan Province in virtual water applications. In this way, with library studies and interviews with research experts, variables affecting local water governance in the use of virtual water in Isfahan Province have been identified and analyzed using the DEMATEL technique, FCOPRAS and FSOARA combined model, and Vensim software.
This research has not received any financial support from any specific institution or organization.
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
