The Qanat System: A Reflection on the Heritage of the Extraction of Hidden Waters

This chapter focuses on a traditional Iranian water infrastructure, the qanat system, a technical solution to the problem of accessing water for irrigation and urbanization that has shaped the landscape and organized the territory. The qanat was the basis for habitation, construction, and prosperity (abadani). It is also a key to understanding...

Sustainability of underground hydro-technologies: From ancient to modern times and toward the future

An underground aqueduct is usually a canal built in the subsurface to transfer water from a starting point to a distant location. Systems of underground aqueducts have been applied by ancient civilizations to manage different aspects of water supply. This research reviews underground aqueducts from the prehistoric period to modern times to...

Hydrosystems as Multipractice Phenomena: A Normative Approach to Analysing Governance System Failures

Given the water governance regime, how potent is the normative practice idea in the case of hydrosystems management? How can the normative practice framework explain the failure of the water governance of the Zayandehrud, and how can this explanation improve water governance both in thsi case and more generally?<br/>Can the govervance of the...

An Appraisal of Qualifying Role of Hydraulic Heritage Systems: A Case Study of Qanat in the Central Iran

Hydraulic heritage systems, both underground and exposed, have been known to be sustainable for millennia. Persian and also Roman aqueducts are examples of such hydrosystems. Their value is often overlooked but they have undeniable advantages: they have functional interconnectedness with their surrounding society and ecology, which sometimes...