IRANIAN WATER HERITAGE: PAST WISDOM FOR FUTURE CHALLENGES

In the long history of mankind, the 21st century would be very distinct from the other centuries and may be considered as the most challenging era for humanity. For the first time in human history, the 21st century is likely to see the end of world population growth. With the current trend of sophistication of technologies, it may be envisioned that by the end of the 21st century even the poorest human beings would enjoy the basic needs of life. Nonetheless reaching this status may involve unimaginable human suffering. Furthermore, according to climate scientists, more floods and droughts would be very likely in 21st century and the people living in poverty would be worst affected by the effects of climate change. The development of societies in arid and semi-arid areas in the last 5,000 years is closely connected with water management problems that have shaped the relevant society and its structures. In the course of the centuries, systems and methods worked out under these conditions have conclusively demonstrated their sustainability. Today, the knowledge and structural remains of these methods are not only interesting archaeologically and historically, but can also help solve current problems. In view of Data, Information, Knowledge, Intelligence and Wisdom hierarchy studied in knowledge management, the water wisdom of the past which was achieved in a period of hundreds of years, can be regarded as a unique and irreplaceable gift from our ancestors to our generation. The Persians of ancient times recognized the importance of irrigation to the sustenance of civilization. By excavating underground water tunnel and gallery systems (qanats) and by constructing many dams, they accomplished projects that rank among the greatest in history. This paper tries to highlight the accumulated knowledge and water wisdom of Iranian civilization by a comprehensive review of their accomplishments in water resources management in very diverse situations