Territorial Water Cooperation in Central Plateau of Iran and Its Role in Sustainable Rural Development: A Case Study in Yazd Province

Purpose: This paper is aimed at examining two concepts of “territory” and “territorial cooperation of water” and then discusses three hypotheses on the role of shared water resources in strengthening cooperation between two or more beneficiary territories. Also, the paper aims to investigate the correlation between territorial water cooperation and social capital for sustainable development. Methods: This study has been conducted through a qualitative method with ethnographic data collection and hermeneutic interpretation. Results: The man-made water currents like qanat which are dependent on periodic maintenance can step up interaction and cooperation between different territories and accordingly blunt the territorial identity, in case they flow across two or several territories and benefit all of them. In other words, when a man-made stream which needs maintenance, crosses two or more territories, the territorial borders may gradually fade away which encourages more cooperation across the territories, and more cooperation result in vaguer borders and this cycle continues. Conclusion: Water is one of the vital resources that a community within its territory needs to live on. However in many cases, neither surface streams nor groundwater are confined within the territory borders unlike the other resources such as soil, manpower, tools, infrastructures, etc. Therefore, the neighboring territories have to establish a cooperative relationship to ensure their sustainable access to their shared water, which can be called territorial water cooperation.