Journal of Water and Sustainable Development

Institutional Conflict of Interest and Water Governance in Iran

Document Type : Analytical note

Authors

Kamran Davary
Amirhossein Karimi Khalilabad

Department of Water Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract
In this paper, by critiquing the purely engineering approach to Iran's water crisis, emphasis is placed on the determining role of "governance," and particularly "institutional conflict of interest," as a structural obstacle to the sustainable management of the country's water resources. By formulating the "intrinsic mission" of the water management institution including the protection of resources, ecological sustainability, equity in allocation, and safeguarding the environmental water right and the rights of future generations and by examining the gap between legal ideals and operational realities, the paper has shown how role overlap, excessive centralization, and the allocation of budget to incorrect priorities have prevented the water institution from performing its main function. Furthermore, drawing on the experience of Australia, the Netherlands, Spain, and South Africa, it is shown that separating regulatory duties from operational duties, and decentralization, are among the pillars of successful water governance. In the end, in order to move beyond this situation, solutions such as "separating regulatory duties from operational duties," and also "institutional redesign based on the principle of mission preceding structure and effective decentralization," have been proposed.

Keywords

Water Governance
Water Resources Management
Intrinsic Mission
Decentralization
Regulatory
Subjects
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مجلس شورای اسلامی. (۱۳۶۱). قانون توزیع عادلانه آب. https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/90679
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World Bank. (2017). World Development Report 2017: Governance and the law. World Bank Publications, Washington, DC, USA. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-0950-7
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Journal of Water and Sustainable Development
Volume 13, Issue 1 - Serial Number 39
Water and Conflict of Interest
Spring 2026
Pages 213-220

  • Receive Date 04 September 2026
  • Accept Date 15 June 2026

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