Popoli Yazdi - Amayesh Consulting Co., Social adviser to Razavi and North Khorassan water companies on the water management at the down stream of some new constructed dams. (Moddaress University)

The main objective of this paper is to present the result of many social and economic studies done by the author on the problems of water shortage in Meshed Plain. The paper analyses the present water shortage situations in Meshed, the government proceedings to solve the problem, the role of people participation and cooperation to support the government, the traditional systems of people participatory cooperation and finally, gives a view on the future if the present model of participation would continue. In analyzing the previous and the present agricultural projects, it seems that the main guilty ones for the present water crisis are the university, Iran and overseas consultative advisers and governmental programmers. These educated bodies did not predict the shortage of water for today and in their agricultural development proposals offered to the government some years ago, they put the most water demanding industries and dependant agricultural products, e.g. sugar beets products, that were not compatible with Meshed resources of underground water. At the end of the paper the author suggests his preferred model for optimum use of underground water in Meshed plain.