Safaei, M., Safavi, H. R., Loucks, D. P., Ahmadi, A., Van der Krogtc, W., (2013). Integrated river basin planning and management: a case study of the Zayandehrud River basin, Iran, Water International, DOI: 10.1080/02508060.2013.823815

Integrated River Basin Planning and Management: A Case Study of the

Zayandehrud River Basin, Iran

Morteza Safaeia , Graduate Student, Department of Civil Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran

morteza.safaei@gmail.com

Hamid R. Safavi, Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran.

hasafavi@cc.iut.ac.ir

Daniel Peter Loucks, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

loucks@cornell.edu

Azadeh Ahmadi, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran.

aahmadi@cc.iut.ac.ir

Wil van der Krogtc, Deltares, Delft Hydraulics, Delft, the Netherlands

Abstract:

This study applies the concept of integrated water resources management (IWRM) to a river basin in Iran, and in so doing, proposes a framework for implementing IWRM principles. Issues such as stakeholder participation, sustainability in several subdomains, scenario analysis, dispute resolution, climate change and well-designed models have been considered. Through a river basin simulation model (RIBASIM) and sustainability criteria, stakeholders made decisions for improving the level of sustainability in the basin. The result of decision making for the future was tested under climate change impacts, and the outputs showed serious challenges, so a strategy is proposed for overcoming these impact effects.

Keywords:

Decision making; Participation; Scenario analysis; River basin simulation; Climate change; Zayandehrud River basin, Iran

Water International, 2013,

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2013.823815