The issue of water encompasses a vast area from our body cells to international relationships between countries. World population growth on one hand and global climate change on the other hand has aggravated the water crisis around the world. One of the solutions that can mitigate water crisis is a new approach toward traditional knowledge and technology which have taken place and evolved in harmony with environment and based on cooperation. Cooperation and social convergence are two inevitable elements of sustainable water management.
One of the important elements of sustainability and durability of traditional water supply systems is social cooperation which is unfortunately on the wane, in the wake of the advent of modern water exploitation systems. In the past people teamed up to set out the most precise systems for water supply, according to which they could manage their water affairs without intervention of government. After the advent of modern control systems, water transfer and distribution and government investment in water sector, governments could gain a stronger foothold in this area and accordingly public role diminished. Now that the research and scientific centers of different countries and the international bodies like UN, UNESCO, FAO and UNDP have realized the importance of this fact, they are doing their best to engage people in the projects from designing to implementing to operating. They have noticed the deficiency of governments in maintaining hydraulic structures on one hand, and the essential role of society’s capacity and potential in managing such structures on the other hand. That is why the water world day and the word “cooperation” have been interwoven. This cooperation can begin at the level of a small community or settlement and extend to the level of countries and continents. Hope remains high that water can act as the factor of cooperation and interaction between communities and this cooperation can promote water service for all.
