Promoting a sustainable traditional technique of aquifer water acquisition common to arid lands: a case study of Ghassem Abad Qanat in Yazd Province (Iran)

Qanats are traditional techniques of aquifers’ water acquisition and irrigation in dry lands, common to the Middle East. They provide fresh water to communities of users by draining groundwater from aquifers. In Iran, authorities are reporting about 37,000 active qanats contributing with about 11% in the country9s total ground water supply. Yazd province, located in the central part of Iran9s plateau, is among the driest regions of the country with more than one million people. It counts 3,193 known qanats with a discharge estimated nowadays at about 350 million m 3 yearly. Ghassem Abad qanat irrigates the agricultural lands of Ghassem Abad village in the province of Yazd. Its water is being managed by an administration headed by a mirab . This paper describes the qanat9s mechanism and provides an overview about qanats in Iran. It also promotes, through the study of Ghassem Abad qanat, the related water management system as eco-friendly traditional knowledge leading to social equity and sustainability. It explains how water is distributed to stakeholders (water shares and irrigation cycles). Nevertheless, and for its survival, the qanat of Ghassem Abad has to continuously deal with social and economic challenges. The farmlands are continuously menaced by urban expansion.