Modeling the Effect of Consumption Pattern on Per Capita of Urban Water with System Thinking (Case Study: City of Birjand)

Nowadays considering to a scarcity of water resources and increasing growth of population and water demand, Water resource management be deemed to be essential. One way of managerial to deal with the crisis of water scarcity and protect existing water resources, is management of the Demand and water use in the urban sector. Iran, with an average annual rainfall of 250 mm, is one of the dry countries in the world. The rapid growth of the population over the past few decades and the lack of attention to its control over the country's planning priorities and the inappropriate pattern of energy and water consumption have faced Iran with serious challenges in this regard. Considering the significant reduction in water resources available on a global scale and the importance of achieving sustainable development goals, the study of factors affecting water resource management has been considered more than ever. In order to compare the country's situation in the region, comprehensive information is needed on the amount of per capita consumption and the minimum amount of water needed to achieve a human development pattern.So far in Iran, a study has not been conducted to establish a systemic relationship between the parameters affecting the consumption pattern in the urban sector and modeling the interaction between the pattern of consumption and per capita water as well as the sources of urban water supply using a dynamic system approach.