Integrated Water resource management in Isfahan

The catchment of the Zayandeh Rud river is located in central Iran in a semiarid to arid environment. The river provides the major water source for one of the most important agriculture areas in Iran, for a growing industry sector and for around 4.5 Million citizens. The growing population and the increasing agricultural- and industrial water use are in contrast to decreasing water availability which is also related to climate change. The catchment has been affected by two drought periods within the last 15 years and because of the increasing gab between water availability and water demand, groundwater resources have been overused. This leads to strongly falling groundwater levels, a widely change of groundwater flow conditions and even a dry river bed in parts of the main river.