JWSS - Journal of Water and Soil Science

Water, as a limiting factor, has played a decisive role in shaping and development of Iranian culture and civilization. Water scarcity and a great variety of water users lead to conflicts in rivers' environment. Conflict resolution is conceptualized by the methods and processes involved in peaceful facilitating and ending of the conflict through active communication about their thinking and causes of disagreement as well as persistence in collective negotiations. Currently, the Zayandeh-Rud River basin (ZRR) has been facing severe water scarcity. The aim of this study is to evaluate the methods of water conflict resolution in the ZRR from the viewpoint of farmers and authorities. The statistical population of this study includes all farmers in ZRR and selected staff of Regional Water Authority and Agricultural Organization (Jahad-Keshavarzi) in both Isfahan and Chaharmahal & Bakhtiyari provinces. Data were collected through a sample of 171 farmers and census of authorities through face-to-face interviews based on a comprehensive structured questionnaire. Before the survey, the reliability and validity of the questionnaire was initially evaluated on a pre-test study respectively by using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) criteria. The results showed that the main factors in creating the conflict are drought, increased water use in industry and increased water consumption in other provinces. Furthermore, the most suitable methods of water conflict resolution are the conditions where everybody is able to speak freely, mediation and negotiation. On one hand, in the current situation, farmers prefer violent manners and on the other hand, authorities consider negotiation as the most appropriate solution to the conflict.