The causes and effects of water conflict: evidence from Damavand

Bahareh Gholizadeh and Mehrdad Niknami

Abstract: In spite of the scarcity of water resources, the farmers’ competitions to use water resources and their insistence on it have resulted in the occurrence of conflict and the tragedy of the common resources. Conflict may have both positive and negative aspects. If the conflict resolutions are correctly understood, its causes and effects can be managed. The objective of this study was to investigate the causes and effects of water conflict in Damavand, Iran using structural modeling method. The research method was a relational causal study. Results revealed that water conflict can be attributed to different causes categorized into interdependent climatic, managerial, social, agronomical, and educational factors, among which the climatic factor was found to include the most important causes. These causes have had positive or negative impacts.

Keywords: climate-smart agriculture; Iran; management; participatory irrigation; water conflict; water resource

Date published: 2020-06-29