JWSS - Journal of Water and Soil Science

In the recent decades, dams have paradoxically been considered as a constraint and or a driving force of surface water conservation. On the other hand, dams have had a number of socio-economic and environmental impacts, the main reason for conducting the current case study on Shah-Qasem Dam in Yasouj, Iran, was to employ the survey field research through a questionnaire to assess the rural peoples’ viewpoint; this was done in four villages of the Southern Sar’roud County. Based on the (Cochran) formula, 192 individuals were relatively selected from each village. According to the findings, the most important impact of the dam was mainly economical (the average impact was between 2.37 and 3.7), whereas the least one was environmental (the average impact was between 1.81 and 3.54). Also, the results of the hypotheses’ analyses by means of 2 and Wilcoxon showed the following results: rise of the villages’ income, increase of the cultivated farms, increase in the employed individuals, enhancement of the cultivated crops, the regions production rising, improved tourism, lack of people’s participation in the decision making process, and reaming of the same plant varieties in the area, as compared with the pre-dam era. It is worth considering, however, that based on the statistical population used, this study was concerned mainly with the short benefits of the dam, rather than its long-term destructive ones.

The present study was conducted with the aim of quantitative and qualitative analysis of agricultural water consumption in Markazi Province, and calculated and examined water consumption at the level of 18 crops and 12 counties using the water footprint as a comprehensive indicator. A simultaneous study of the three components of the blue, green, and gray water footprint was conducted as an analytical tool to assess the amount and manner of water consumption. In this study, meteorological, agricultural, and input consumption data were used in the 2022-2023 crop year, and water footprint values were estimated in terms of units and totals by crop and county. The results showed that BWFU is strongly influenced by spatial factors (climate and precipitation) and plant characteristics (yield, crop type, and growth period). A difference of up to 98% in BWFU among different crops and a difference of more than 9 times in GWFU in rainfed compared to irrigated lands were observed. Also, GRWFU values exceeded BWFU for many crops, indicating a significant pollutant load from the use of chemical fertilizers. In addition to spatial factors and plant characteristics, the difference of 223 MCM between Saveh and Ashtian counties and the difference of 52.7 MCM between Shazand and Mahallat counties in BWF and GWF, respectively, indicate spatial differences in BWFU and cultivation area. Also, the difference in 1377 MCM between the GRWF of Arak and Ashtian counties is affected by the amount and type of fertilizer used, in addition to the cultivation area. In addition to improving performance, suggested management measures include reducing the cultivation area of high-consumption crops, expanding rainfed lands in high-rainfall areas, optimizing input consumption, and modifying the cultivation pattern in accordance with resources and climatic conditions in order to maintain the quantity and quality of water resources. Accordingly, the research results demonstrate the potential of the water footprint index in location-based and product-based analysis of water consumption and formulation of management responses.