Review of Ancient Wisdom of Qanat, and Suggestions for Future Water Management

Taghavijeloudar, Mohsen; Han, Myung Joo; Davoudi, M H; Kim, Mi-Kyeong

doi:10.4491/eer.2013.18.2.057

Cited by 34 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Falaj not only supplies safe drinking water to human settlements, but it also provides them with food through irrigated agriculture and provides energy through watermills and firewood. Both Omanis and Iranians have developed an engineering knowledge on how to generate energy by building many watermills working with falaj water flow (Taghavi-Jeloudar et al, 2013). The orchards irrigated by falaj are another source of energy, where farmers regularly prune their tree branches and produce a considerable deal of firewood.…”

Section: Falaj Managerial Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Falaj Indigenous knowledge in Oman and Iran

Al-Ghafri

Khaneiki

Saqri

et al. 2023

AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples

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Both Oman and Iran possess a harsh environment where people’s survival and development entail a deep knowledge about their surroundings. A considerable part of this knowledge has crystallized around the falaj, a hydraulic technique that transfers water from a groundwater source or seasonal runoffs to cultivated lands, in Omani and Iranian oases, that has historically served as the only water source in an otherwise barren arid land. This article argues that the spatial extent of the falaj confronts local communities with a variety of questions to be solved. This article also tries to answer how the falaj system contributed to the development of modern sciences in a broader context. The article concludes that a transition from Indigenous knowledge to modern sciences has changed the position of local communities from coexistence to over-exploitation in terms of their water resources, and this transition can explain their current water problems.

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Section: Falaj Managerial Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Falaj Indigenous knowledge in Oman and Iran

Al-Ghafri

Khaneiki

Saqri

et al. 2023

AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples

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“…Concerning ancient practices of groundwater harvesting, it is indispensable to mention the "qanāt", found among Persians more than 5000 years ago. "Qanāt" were composed by a system of artificial underground water channels up to 305 m deep, to bring a continual flux of water to the earth's surface for human agricultural and domestic use (Taghavi-Jeloudar et al 2013). The ancient "qanāt system" was always controlled by the level of the underground water table, utilizing groundwater as a renewable resource.…”

Section: Examples Of Ancient Water Harvesting Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ancient "qanāt system" was always controlled by the level of the underground water table, utilizing groundwater as a renewable resource. Consequently, significant drawdown in an aquifer is avoided because the water flow is dependent on the subsurface water supply, bringing advantages over traditional wells (Taghavi-Jeloudar et al 2013). UNESCO recognized the "qanāt system" as a testimony to the ancestral tradition, providing water to support human settlements in arid zones.…”

Section: Examples Of Ancient Water Harvesting Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning from the Past: What Cultural Heritage Can Teach Us About Water Storage and Management

Saito

Morais

2022

The Palgrave Handbook of Global Sustainability

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This chapter is aimed at contributing to the debate on water security in a more sustainable world, especially in drylands or in regions with irregular rainfall. In this context, ancient practices and technologies are analyzed, some of them no longer used, but could contribute to facing contemporary environmental challenges regarding management perspectives in present situations of water scarcity. Several examples of water supply infrastructure around the world are presented, such as reservoirs and aqueducts, analyzing the current viability of each one, considering the magnitude of the infrastructure, the distance to the source, and the type of water source. For that reason a concept map to classify ancient water systems into urban systems was utilized. Additionally, with a view to ensuring

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“…The distribution of karezes by country is shown in Fig. 22.3 based on the literature (Mustafa and Usman 2007;Hussain et al 2008;Wilkinson et al 2012;Taghavi-Jeloudar et al 2013;Remini and Kechad 2012;Abudu et al 2014;Goes et al 2017;Remini and Achour 2017). Their geographical extent has been documented from Western China to as far west as North Africa and Spain, and some parts of South America.…”

Section: Distribution Of Karezes In the Worldmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Karez System’s Dilemma: A Cultural Heritage on a Shelf or Still a Viable Technique for Water Resiliency in Arid Regions

Abudu

Sheng

King

et al. 2019

Socio-Environmental Dynamics Along the Historical Silk Road

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Karez system is considered as the global human heritage since it is not only a traditional water supply system of exploiting groundwater, but also it reflects the culture, socio-economy, and history of the ancient civilizations that had utilized them for thousands of years in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. However, with the explosive population growth and rapid development of pumping technology in the last century, the karezes dried up or were abandoned as pumping wells lower the groundwater table. This poses a dilemma to policy makers whether to facilitate large-scale utilization of pumping well technology over karez system and treat karez as a cultural heritage which is non-functional for food production, or to keep using and preserving the karez system as a sustainable way of groundwater management as part of the integrated water supply systems in the arid regions. In this paper, we reviewed the historical, socioeconomic , and cultural importance of karezes in the arid regions. We also discussed the distribution of karezes in the world, their unique geographical characteristics, technological advantages and limitations. We observed that the karez system is not only economically robust over the long term, but also a viable water supply technique for irrigation and domestic uses. The karezes should be protected as indigenous human heritage, and at the same time, they can be utilized as a sustainable way of water resources management in the arid regions to enhance water resiliency under changing environment.

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Review of Ancient Wisdom of Qanat, and Suggestions for Future Water Management

Cited by 34 publications

References 6 publications

Falaj Indigenous knowledge in Oman and Iran

Falaj Indigenous knowledge in Oman and Iran

Learning from the Past: What Cultural Heritage Can Teach Us About Water Storage and Management

A Karez System’s Dilemma: A Cultural Heritage on a Shelf or Still a Viable Technique for Water Resiliency in Arid Regions

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