The qanat: A living history in Iran

Abstract

About 2,500 years ago, Persians invented a number of methods for harnessing groundwater, including a water management system called a qanat. Still used today, qanats are built as a series of underground tunnels and wells that bring groundwater to the surface. They supply about 7.6 billion m3, or 15% of the country's total water needs, and play a major role in advanced water harvesting. However, many of these systems have been abandoned and replaced by other methods over the past few decades, mainly due to socioeconomic conditions and changing technology. In addition, drilling more deep and shallow wells has hurt groundwater quality - especially in the littoral district of Iran's central plain - which has implications for the environment, people, and economy of Iran. It is necessary therefore to recommend and implement relevant solutions to increase the efficiency of qanats to achieve sustainable development in water resources management. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.