The Role of Social Capital in Water Reservoirs Governance: Evidence from Northern Iran

Collective local governance of traditional water reservoirs (Ab-bandans) in Mazandaran province, Northern Iran, is gradually disappearing. Using the concept of social capital, we explore how and why components of social capital (trust, co-operation, social network cohesion, leadership roles, and conflict resolution) among various local stakeholders influence water management through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with key local stakeholders (29 interviews). We used NVivo software to code the interview transcripts through the identification of relevant themes. Our results indicate that the most important component of social capital for local community water management is conflict resolution. Local community leaders play a crucial role in promoting and facilitating cooperation and conflict resolution among communities through negotiation and conciliation mechanisms. However, these mechanisms have proved inadequate in providing lasting resolution of conflicts between neighbouring communities over water management. Since the Iranian government has overall responsibility for water management, we recommend it engage directly in the resolution of local water conflicts to ensure lasting solutions acceptable to all local stakeholders.