Explaining the model of urban management in Water-Sensitive cities: the case study of Zahedan city

ABSTRACT
Zahedan has been faced with excessive expansion in the past decades, and providing drinking water to the citizens of this city is one of the most acute problems of the city, and it is facing a severe shortage of water resources. This research aims to explain the urban management model in the water-sensitive city of Zahedan, which is practical in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of nature. The required information was collected using documentary and field studies (questionnaire) methods. The statistical population of the research included officials, managers, and experts in the field of water affairs, as well as Zahedan City Municipality and Sistan and Baluchistan University. The sample size is determined based on the purposeful sampling method of 30 people. In order to analyze the data, statistical tests such as Shipro-Wilk, one-sample t-test, Pearson's correlation coefficient and factor analysis technique were used in SPSS software. The findings of the research show that between urban management in this water-sensitive city with indicators of water-sensitive governance (0.842), social capital (0.860), productivity and efficiency (0.847), adaptive infrastructures (0.599), ecological health (0.720), quality of urban space (0.877), water cycle management (0.703), minimization of sedimentation (0.811); there is a positive and significant relationship. According to the analysis of the factors that were the basis of this research and the results, a three-level model of urban water resources management, including sustainable human-social management, optimum productivity and ecological protection, and quality of urban performance, was finally developed. In order to optimally manage water resources and uses in the water-sensitive city of Zahedan, it was extracted and presented.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Most of Iran's cities are located in areas with severe water resource limitations. The development of cities for various reasons has caused an increase in water demand, and the need to supply water to cities is increasing day by day. So far, this increase in demand has been answered due to the focus on the water supply approach, mostly through solutions such as transferring water from extra-basin sources and excessive withdrawals from aquifers, which has led to the destruction of water resources and the reduction of supply capacity. Therefore, dealing with this crisis and adapting to water scarcity requires a fundamental change in urban development policy and water management in cities, and this can only be achieved by changing the water management track from supply management to demand management. In this regard, in order to solve this challenge, the participation of all stakeholders, including policymakers and decision-makers, citizens, media, the private sector and governmental and non-governmental institutions, is needed. In this regard, the idea of a "water-sensitive city" is proposed as a platform to attract the participation of all mortgage holders to sensitize and change their mental conditions and use all the communication and social capacities of society in the way of water consumption management. Currently, the number of residential water subscribers in Zahedan city is 164,000, the number of commercial water subscribers is 6,000, and the industrial settlement is 1,250. This indicates that the city of Zahedan is facing a severe shortage of water resources. Due to the fact that this city has been faced with excessive expansion in the past decades, the supply of drinking water to the citizens of this city is now one of the most acute problems of the city. Therefore, scientific study and investigation of the subject is critical. On the other hand, Zahedan, as the largest city in the southeast of Iran and the population hub of Sistan and Baluchistan province, like other cities in the country, faces many service problems, which include lack or absence of suitable infrastructures, disproportionate uses, the existence of environmental problems, and inequality in the distribution of services in the city areas and access to them. Therefore, the basic questions of the research are:
1-What are the most important indicators of urban management in the water-sensitive city of Zahedan?
2-What is the ranking of urban management indicators of the water-sensitive city of Zahedan?.
 
Methodology
In terms of the purpose, the current research is classified as applied research, and in terms of method, it is descriptive-analytical and the method of collecting documentary and field information. The statistical population in this research were experts and specialists. In order to complete the questionnaire of elites, urban affairs and water management experts, Zahedan municipality experts and university professors, the purposeful sampling method was used, a number of 30 people. In this way, an initial group was first selected for the interview, and then the next groups were introduced by the same group. The sampling continued until no new ideas emerged, and the research reached theoretical saturation.
 
Results and discussion
In order to investigate the relationship between urban management indicators in water-sensitive cities in the studied sample, Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis was used due to the normality of the indices. The Pearson correlation analysis showed a relationship between urban management in water-sensitive cities with water-sensitive governance indicators, social capital, productivity and efficiency, adaptive infrastructure, ecological health, quality of urban space, and water cycle management. Minimizing depositions; there is a positive and significant relationship. In this regard, there was no significant relationship between the dimension of urban management and the index of justice and equality at the 95% confidence level. Also, the highest level of two-to-one relationship and correlation between the research indicators between adaptive infrastructure index and ecological health was found to be 0.653 at the confidence level or significance p≥0.01 positive and significant. Based on the factor loadings obtained in the priority, the most important index in the human-social sustainable management factor was the social capital index with a factor load of 0.860 and then the water-sensitive governance index with a factor load of 0.842, which can be in this context, the necessity of cooperation and support of water-related departments in Zahedan, cooperation and interaction between people and officials in solving problems, decisions of Zahedan urban water management system based on knowledge and skills, the role of women in water resources management, etc., considering that the second factor included the productivity and efficiency index with a factor load of 0.847 and the ecological health index with a factor load of 0.720, the second priority in the field of urban management of the water-sensitive city in Zahedan, named (optimal productivity and ecological protection). In this regard, it is possible to point out the importance of proportionality of the benefits of the urban water system with other parts of the urban systems, the status of underground water quality in Zahedan, and such cases from the point of view of experts. The third priority was also named (quality of urban performance) according to the quality index of urban space with a factor load of 0.877 and the index of minimization of depositions with a factor load of 0.811. In terms of the quality of urban performance, the role of such things as the performance of urban elements related to water in order to reduce the thermal effects of Zahedan and the necessary potential of Zahedan facilities and equipment for wastewater treatment in the urban management of water-sensitive cities is undeniable.
 
Conclusion
The examination and analysis of the findings of this research show that in the urban management indicators of water-sensitive cities, descriptively, the highest average was obtained for the role of women in the management of water resources with a rate of 3.50 of the social capital index, at the same time, the lowest average obtained for the item; considering the element of water in the planning and design of Zahedan was 1.63 of the water-sensitive governance index. The average of the items and indicators of the state of urban management of water-sensitive cities in Zahedan was 2.25. Therefore, based on the research results, the status of urban management indicators in the water-sensitive city of Zahedan is unfavorable. On the other hand, the results show that there is a difference between urban management in water-sensitive cities with water-sensitive governance indicators (social capital, productivity and efficiency, adaptive infrastructure, ecological health, urban space quality, water cycle management, minimizing deposits); there is a positive and significant relationship. In terms of improving the quality of urban performance, the role of things such as the performance of urban elements related to water in order to reduce the thermal effects of Zahedan and the necessary potential of Zahedan urban facilities and equipment for wastewater treatment in urban management is undeniable. According to what was obtained from the results of this analysis, a three-level model of urban water resources management includes sustainable human-social management, optimum productivity and ecological protection, and quality of urban performance. In order to optimally manage water resources and water consumption in the water-sensitive city of Zahedan, it was extracted and presented that in practice and the implementation of this model, the cooperation and synergy of the relevant institutions will be a guide in this matter.
 
Funding
There is no funding support.
 
Authors’ Contribution
All authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of this article. Each author has reviewed and approved the content of the manuscript and is in agreement with all aspects of the work. The authors declare that there are no competing interests.
 
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
 
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to all the scientific consultants who contributed to this paper.