اکولوژی سیاسی آب؛ چارچوبی برای تحلیل درگیری های آبی در چرخه هیدرواجتماعی زاینده رود

Extended Abstract

Introduction

By interfering in the hydrological cycle, by building structures and changing the characteristics of water flows, for the benefit of part of the population and to the detriment of another part, the man gives a new form to this cycle, which is referred to as the hydro-social cycle. The reshaping of the hydro-social cycle generates positive and negative effects for different actors, who perceive such changes differently. From this, socio-environmental conflicts about water management arise. In general, ecological distribution conflicts are studied by political ecology. In recent decades, due to natural and human factors, we have seen an imbalance in the available water resources and the amount of water used in the Zayandeh-Rud catchment. Thus, the government has started dam construction and water transfer activities. The result of this is the change of water circulation to a mixed socio-natural flow in the form of specific hydro-social configurations that are affected by unequal power relations and have affected the fair distribution of water. Therefore, the complex intertwining of society and nature and the limited access to water with sufficient quantity and quality in this region has become a reason for water to become the subject or cause of water conflicts. In this regard, this research tries to investigate these hydro-social configurations in the form of the political ecology of water, focusing on the relationship between water conflicts and water-based activism.



Methodology

The present study is descriptive-analytical in terms of nature and method and applied-theoretical in terms of objective. In the first stage, the required resources and information were collected from documents and the library, and we reached the theoretical framework. In the second stage, the natural and human characteristics of the region have been described. In the final stage, according to the nature of the work based on qualitative analysis, the effective variables in the conflicts of the Zayandeh-Rud basin from the point of view of political ecology have been identified, analyzed, and deduced.



Results and discussion

In the Zayandeh-Rud catchment, water acts as a connecting factor. Pipelines and water transmission channels physically connect the provinces of Isfahan, Yazd, Chaharmahal Bakhtiari, Khuzestan, and their local communities in terms of their shared seasonal tensions and experiences. Therefore, a complex hydro-social space has been created that includes rural, urban, and environmental areas in this basin, and with natural or human changes in its flow, social links, biological spaces, and geographical boundaries are created and transformed. Thus, water, society, nature, and technology in the Zayandeh-Rud catchment area are interconnected, and determining factors have formed special connected social-natural configurations. These hydro-social cycles formed in the basin reveal complex relationships in which local human actors and non-human elements interact with political, economic, cultural, and ecological factors and elements at broader levels that are neither intrinsic nor sustainable; rather, they are formed through dynamic interactions between social functions, structural forces and environmental processes and power relations; they are interconnected and constantly changing. These water interventions, with their complex and widespread consequences, not only affect social dynamics and local resources, rather, with the unequal distribution of costs and environmental consequences, they deepen the social gaps between the people and the government, organizations, and institutions, and the people of the provinces related to the basin, and fuels unbalanced development. So, in some places and for some populations (people of Isfahan and Yazd), pipelines promise a bright future and provide the possibility of development and better life, while for some others (people of Khuzestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari), these lines are a symbol of injustice and inequality. So, the existing hydro-social relations in the Zayandeh-Rud catchment have led to obvious and hidden disputes and conflicts over access to water. Given that the central concern of political ecology is understanding the relationship between social and environmental changes so that the outcomes of these changes are often felt unevenly by different social groups, the four key variables in the hydro-social configuration of the Zayandeh-Rud catchment, which is one of the key issues of political ecology, including conflict; as a result of development or ecological changes, environment, power, and Justice.



Conclusion

In the Zayandeh-Rud catchment, political ecology analysis shows that the water crisis in this region stems from the dialectical interaction between natural and human factors and is particularly influenced by power structures, water resource management policies, and prevailing development patterns, which have shaped and exacerbated the crisis. As a response to this crisis, government intervention through water transfer projects has not only failed to lead to a fundamental solution but has also, by altering water circulation and creating new hydro-social configurations, further impacted equitable water distribution. The results of this study identified four key influential variables that are effective in the formation of water conflicts in the hydro-social cycle of the Zayandeh-Rud.

Conflict: Unsustainable development, particularly the excessive expansion of water-intensive agriculture and high-consumption industries, along with climate change and the implementation of hydraulic infrastructure projects, has led to changes in the availability and distribution of water resources, resulting in the emergence of water conflicts.

Environment: The environment not only serves as the geographical setting for conflicts but also plays an active role in shaping them. The specific characteristics of the Zayandeh-Rud catchment, including its arid and semi-arid climate, chronic water scarcity, the dependence of local livelihoods on traditional agriculture, and inefficient irrigation practices, have set the stage for the emergence of conflicts.

Power: Unequal power relations among various stakeholder groups play a decisive role in access to water resources, the distribution of benefits and costs associated with development projects, and the formulation of water policies. These power asymmetries, often rooted in social, economic, and political structures, lead to water injustices and the intensification of conflicts.

Justice: The neglect of local communities’ rights, the prioritization of certain interest groups (such as large industries), and the lack of transparency in decision-making processes have led to perceptions of discrimination and injustice, deepened social divides, facilitated competition both between and within provinces, and contributed to the escalation of widespread conflicts.