Tahereh Mohamadi; Mohammad Taghi Dastorani
Volume 4, Issue 10 , June 2017, , Pages 41-64
Abstract
Healthy watersheds provide many ecosystem based services in different fields such as social and economic welfares. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop ways to determine the degree of health and sustainability of watersheds. One of the indices which is used to assess sustainability is the ...
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Healthy watersheds provide many ecosystem based services in different fields such as social and economic welfares. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop ways to determine the degree of health and sustainability of watersheds. One of the indices which is used to assess sustainability is the Watershed Sustainability Index (WSI). This index is based on the combination of four sub-indices of hydrology, environment, life, and policy making. This index evaluates the watershed at low, medium, and high levels. Zidasht watershed was chosen to study due to its ten years of major changes between the years 1380 and 1390. The sustainability of the Zidasht watershed during this period, 1380-1381, was 0.65, indicating that the watershed is located in the middle to lower level sustainability. It was also discovered that to achieve a sustainable development in Zidasht watershed some steps should be taken. First, the quality of the river water, or its hydrology, should be considered. Comprehensive studies and plans in the management and conservation of water in the area should also be developed. Following these, the inhabitants of the watershed, the environment, the quantity of the water should be considered. Finally, the policy making should be taken into account. Thus, this assessment will help managers and decision makers in future planning and land planning.
