Colonial Management of Iranian Kurdistan; with Emphasis on Water Resources

Abstract

Iranian Kurdistan (a region referred to by the Kurds as Rojhelat/East Kurdistan), which possesses a large variety of minerals, oil reserves, dense forests, and massive surface and underground water resources, has for decades supplied the economic, agricultural, and industrial sectors in Iran, mainly benefiting the development of the central parts of the country and bringing significant income to the state. This has occurred while the Kurdish region remains among the most economically underdeveloped and deprived areas of Iran. The Iranian state’s economic and developmental approach to Kurdistan’s natural resources, and the mechanisms of extractions and exploitation of these resources, have resulted in extensive environmental degradation, affecting the public health in the Kurdish region, and not least de-development and further underdevelopment in this region. Taking into account the extent of extraction and use of Kurdistan’s natural resources reveals the Kurdish-state relation as an internal core-peripheral relationship, resulting in the centre’s destruction of the natural environment and exploitation of the natural resources of the periphery. This paper sheds light on the Iranian state’s economic and developmental activities, with a focus on water resources in the Kurdish region and the consequences of their use on the natural environment.

Iran’s water policy: Environmental injustice and peripheral marginalisation

“…Then, different Iranian governments’ visions for growth and development are comparatively devoid of a soft path strategy, comprising long-term, all-encompassing water management policies and investments. The failure of these governments to effectively implement demand-side water management can be attributed to mismanagement, corruption, and ethnic favouritism that affect this aspect of society, environment, and resources (Hassaniyan and Sohrabi, 2022). Recognising the limitations of supply-side approaches, demand-side management in Iran has also been considered.…”

“…According to Qasim Taghizadeh Khamsi, Ministry of Energy, in the summer of 2021, the number of cities involved in water tension reached 300, and out of these, 101 cities were identified as having a highly critical red condition. IBWT projects and disagreements over who should have access to this water and how this have fuelled many sociopolitical tensions (Hassaniyan and Sohrabi, 2022), including conflicts between provincial authorities in the recipient provinces of Isfahan and Yazd and intra-communal disputes in the Province of Kerman. For instance, in the case of Kerman, experts and residents of south Kerman assert that the purpose of water transfer is to provide drinking water to Kerman's households, but this water is delivered to the industrial section (Peykeiran, 2021).…”

Challenge of “Decolonisation” and Need for a Comprehensive Redefinition of Neocolonialism

“…Концепт «внутреннего колониализма» при всей его неоднозначности в итоге способствовал появлению работ о «внутреннем колониализме в Китае» (Gladney, 1998), «колониальном управлении» в «Иранском Курдистане» (Hassaniyan & Sohrabi, 2022), «внутреннем колониальном Другом» в Иране (Soleimani & Mohammadpour, 2019). В результате научные журналы и уважаемые публицистические издания наполнились материалами не только о русском колониализме, но и об иранском 10 или даже эфиопском 11 или «абиссинском» колониализме (Birru, 1981).…”