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Is participatory groundwater management an option

In Iran as well as in the rest of the world, a large sector of the irrigated area is totally or partly dependent on groundwater. As such groundwater has become a cornerstone of many regional economies and societies. Yet contrary to surface water irrigation, where a lot of attention has been given to PIM, within the groundwater irrigation sector there has been very little attention for participatory management of groundwater resources even though in most places it is a very pressing issue. Dropping groundwater tables and pumps that run dry in many areas clearly show that often the present use of groundwater is unsustainable. In irrigation systems where conjunctive water management takes place combining groundwater and surface water management can offer an option for participatory groundwater management. This case study analyzes the situation of groundwater resource use in the Abshar irrigation system in the Zayandeh Rud Basin Iran and establishes the question if participatory management of groundwater and conjunctive use is a viable option for irrigation management in the present context. GROUNDWATER USE IN THE ZAYANDEH RUD BASIN The Zayandeh Rud basin is situated in the centre of Iran and covers an area of 41,500 km 2 . The basin originates in the Zagros Mountains at altitudes of around 2300 m, where rainfall and snow are abundant 2 , and closes in the Gavkhuni swamp at an altitude of 1466 m. The majority of the basin is a typical arid and semi-arid desert. The city of Esfahan, with almost two million inhabitants, and its fertile plains 3 , form the main socio-economic area of the basin. Esfahan lies at an altitude of around 1800 m and has an average annual precipitation of 130 mm, concentrated in the November-April period. Temperatures are hot in the summer, reaching an average of 30 o C in July, but are cool in the winter dropping to an average minimum temperature of 3 o C in January. Annual