The Lost River of Life
Mandana Givi
David Watts
March 2021
Within the past two decades, Central Iran has seen a continuous depletion in water supplies and currently resides in a harrowing water crisis. The leading factors to this rapid depletion is primarily mismanagement of agricultural irrigation and the inevitable impacts of climate change. The Zayanderud River, translates to “River of Life” in Farsi, flows through the Zayanderud River Basin, which is the largest watershed and the main source of water in Central Iran. The Basin provides water for the entire population of the Province, as well as surrounding, smaller towns and cities. Scientists have stated that if this mismanagement of water persists, this province will be deemed uninhabitable and natives will be evacuated. That is, 5.12 million people will be evacuated from their homes. Therefore, disrupting the entirety of the Middle East. This project aims to alleviate the water crisis in Central Iran through a resilient water management plan for drought-ridden, arid landscapes and provides water conscious design solutions.
ABOUT ME
Hi! My name is Mandy Givi, I’m a fifth year landscape architecture student in David’s senior studio. As a first generation Iranian-American, it only felt right to complete my senior project in Iran. My project is located in my grandmother's hometown in Isfahan, Iran. Throughout the years, I’ve seen the grave impacts that this water crisis has had on my family directly. With that, through my time at Cal Poly, I’ve grown an interest for building ecologically resilient landscapes and embracing coastal communities, combining the two has resulted in a project that I’m most passionate about.