demands. In order to develop a more coherent
water resource management approach, the waterenergy-food nexus was introduced (Benson et al.
2015; Muller 2015; Liu et al. 2017; Cai et al.
2018; Schneider et al. 2019a, b). The operationalization of the water-energy-food nexus
concept is based on the cooperative principle
through the development of adapted communication schemes like the nexus dialogue (de
Strasser et al. 2016; Liu et al. 2017). In this
regard, Industrial symbiosis based on water
sharing can be considered a nexus approach since
it represents a form of sharing economy that
requires customized communication and governance schemes to unlock the resource efficiency
potentials (Benson et al. 2015; Schneider et al.
2019a, b).
Globally, agriculture is the largest water user,
particularly in developing countries, and industrial users from several sectors are also in competition for available water resources. This
situation requires an integrated and inter-sectoral
management approach, based on the analysis of
existing resources and their renewability. Besides
agricultural water demand, the water supply to
industry, businesses and households are also at
risk. To date, industrial enterprises in developing
countries are dependent on freshwater resources
available within the catchment area, which are
used for a wide range of purposes, and as a result
of continued economic growth, water demand
also increases. The water-energy-food nexus was
developed to solve the resulting challenges
(Benson et al. 2015; Liu et al. 2017; Cai et al.
2018).
1.4 Water Resources Challenges
in the Study Area
The study area focuses on the Zayandeh Rud
catchment in Iran, which serves as a case study
for the competing usage claims between agriculture, households and industry. GermanIranian cooperation in the area aims to develop
sustainable water management for the catchment
area of Zayandeh Rud River in central Iran. The
river is of vital importance to the semi-arid
region, but rapidly decreasing water availability
and quality of surface and groundwater resources
present immense challenges to those responsible
and those affected. Last but not least, the
Zayandeh Rud River is the most important
source of drinking water in the region. The disappearance of the life-giving river is a tragedy for
the entire region, not only from an economic
point of view but above all from a social, health
and environmental point of view. Within the
scope of the German-Iranian research project
“Integrated Water Resources Management
Zayandeh Rud” funded by the German Federal
Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF),
was the task to develop a strategy for sustainable
water usage along the river whilst taking various
agricultural, industrial, human and environmental
demands into consideration (Mohajeri et al.
2011; Ghanavizchian and Mohajeri 2013; Piadeh
et. al. 2014; Mohajeri et al. 2016; Kirschke et al.
2016).
Like other countries in the Euro-Asian high
mountain belt, Iran is a country with scarce water
resources. The total area of Iran is 1,745,000
km
2 , out of which the Zayandeh Rud catchment
covers 26,000 km
2 stretching across two provinces (Mohajeri et al. 2016). Zayandeh Rud is
the largest river of the Iranian Plateau in Central
Iran (Fig. 1). The country has more than 70
million inhabitants and suffers from a serious
water shortage. The renewable water reserves
available per inhabitant per capita declined from
13,000 m
3 /a 1921 to 1,400 m
3 /a in 2014 (source:
Iran’s Energy Ministry, cited by Iran Daily
2015). The climate in Iran can be largely
described as arid to semiarid. The average rainfall varies between 1,280 mm/a on the coast of
the Caspian Sea and 100 mm/a in the deserts.
The average annual precipitation in Iran is about
250 mm/a. Intensive farming, population growth
and increasing urbanization have led to increasing water scarcity in recent decades. According
Nexus-Oriented Approach for Sharing Water Resources …
207
water resource management approach, the waterenergy-food nexus was introduced (Benson et al.
2015; Muller 2015; Liu et al. 2017; Cai et al.
2018; Schneider et al. 2019a, b). The operationalization of the water-energy-food nexus
concept is based on the cooperative principle
through the development of adapted communication schemes like the nexus dialogue (de
Strasser et al. 2016; Liu et al. 2017). In this
regard, Industrial symbiosis based on water
sharing can be considered a nexus approach since
it represents a form of sharing economy that
requires customized communication and governance schemes to unlock the resource efficiency
potentials (Benson et al. 2015; Schneider et al.
2019a, b).
Globally, agriculture is the largest water user,
particularly in developing countries, and industrial users from several sectors are also in competition for available water resources. This
situation requires an integrated and inter-sectoral
management approach, based on the analysis of
existing resources and their renewability. Besides
agricultural water demand, the water supply to
industry, businesses and households are also at
risk. To date, industrial enterprises in developing
countries are dependent on freshwater resources
available within the catchment area, which are
used for a wide range of purposes, and as a result
of continued economic growth, water demand
also increases. The water-energy-food nexus was
developed to solve the resulting challenges
(Benson et al. 2015; Liu et al. 2017; Cai et al.
2018).
1.4 Water Resources Challenges
in the Study Area
The study area focuses on the Zayandeh Rud
catchment in Iran, which serves as a case study
for the competing usage claims between agriculture, households and industry. GermanIranian cooperation in the area aims to develop
sustainable water management for the catchment
area of Zayandeh Rud River in central Iran. The
river is of vital importance to the semi-arid
region, but rapidly decreasing water availability
and quality of surface and groundwater resources
present immense challenges to those responsible
and those affected. Last but not least, the
Zayandeh Rud River is the most important
source of drinking water in the region. The disappearance of the life-giving river is a tragedy for
the entire region, not only from an economic
point of view but above all from a social, health
and environmental point of view. Within the
scope of the German-Iranian research project
“Integrated Water Resources Management
Zayandeh Rud” funded by the German Federal
Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF),
was the task to develop a strategy for sustainable
water usage along the river whilst taking various
agricultural, industrial, human and environmental
demands into consideration (Mohajeri et al.
2011; Ghanavizchian and Mohajeri 2013; Piadeh
et. al. 2014; Mohajeri et al. 2016; Kirschke et al.
2016).
Like other countries in the Euro-Asian high
mountain belt, Iran is a country with scarce water
resources. The total area of Iran is 1,745,000
km
2 , out of which the Zayandeh Rud catchment
covers 26,000 km
2 stretching across two provinces (Mohajeri et al. 2016). Zayandeh Rud is
the largest river of the Iranian Plateau in Central
Iran (Fig. 1). The country has more than 70
million inhabitants and suffers from a serious
water shortage. The renewable water reserves
available per inhabitant per capita declined from
13,000 m
3 /a 1921 to 1,400 m
3 /a in 2014 (source:
Iran’s Energy Ministry, cited by Iran Daily
2015). The climate in Iran can be largely
described as arid to semiarid. The average rainfall varies between 1,280 mm/a on the coast of
the Caspian Sea and 100 mm/a in the deserts.
The average annual precipitation in Iran is about
250 mm/a. Intensive farming, population growth
and increasing urbanization have led to increasing water scarcity in recent decades. According
Nexus-Oriented Approach for Sharing Water Resources …
207