Infrastructure should create employment, support local businesses, and build amenities that benefit communities, thereby maximizing and safeguarding its economic benefits.
Iran occupies a large expanse of predominantly arid or semi-arid land in West Asia. Of the country’s 376 kilometres³ average rainfall per year, an estimated 66 per cent evaporates before reaching the countries’ rivers, and all streams are seasonable and variable (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [FAO] 2008, p. 3). In this geographic context, qanats – traditional water systems for transporting and distributing water from sources in upland areas to dry plains (Manuel, Lightfoot and Fattahi 2018) – have historically provided a solution that sustains livelihoods and economic opportunities.
They bring a reliable source of water and employment (both directly and indirectly) to farms in the driest parts of the country, where livelihoods would otherwise be severely constrained.
