The role of strategic planning in the water crisis management: A survey on the water resources managers in the Karun River, Iran

Water crisis management is a critical issue in worldwide, particularly in regions heavily reliant on rivers for various socio-economic activities. This research examines the role of strategic planning in effectively managing water crises, with a specific focus on the Karun River in Iran. The aim of the study is to find the relationships between strategic planning and its sub-variables (top management support, strategic analysis of the internal and external environment, the presence of a strategic plan, evaluation of the implementation of the strategic plan), and the management of the water crisis. The research gains the importance of working on strategic planning within the water resources directorates in the Karun River and to extent of its compatibility with the requirements of water crisis management and to draw the attention of senior management to this subject. The opinions of the principals of the water resources directorates in the Karun River basin and their assistants were surveyed using a questionnaire that was distributed in 51 selected people. A form to collect information related to the research variables, and in order to reach the desired results. Appropriate statistical analysis using SPSS program (V22) were applied. The most important finding of the research is that there is a clear impact of strategic planning in managing the water crisis.