Application of Indicator-Based Approach in Water Security Assessment of Lake Urmia Basin

By growing food and energy demands and rising living standards and according to the complexity of regional water governance, the pressure on water resources is increasing. Many factors are involved in water security. In this research, firstly, the water security of Lake Urmia Basin was investigated using hydro-economic classification for 1) five-year periods from 1991 to 2016, and 2) the provinces located in the basin for 2016. The results showed the existence of high hydrological challenges and low economic capacity to achieve water security. Since general methods such as hydro-economic classification do not provide accurate information at local scales, in the second part, a clear definition of water security was presented according to the characteristics of Lake Urmia Basin. Considering this definition, we designed an indicator-based framework in three dimensions of access to water, income, and employment to assess the water security of the basin. The study was conducted for the historical period. By the considered criteria, the water security of the basin was assessed as "low" in 1996 and 2016 and "moderate" in 2001, 2006 and 2011. The study of the basin water security with productivity indicators of economic activities showed that in order to achieve water security in the future, the agricultural sector does not possess the necessary potential for socio-economic development and policies in this sector should be oriented towards reduction of water consumption and employment. This is not possible without investing and creating employment capacity in other sectors, which have high potential for increasing employment opportunities and per capita income.