Water Reflections in the Mirror of the Mind: A Phenomenological Analysis of the Semnan Water Market

The implementation of a water market scheme in Semnan province, as a novel approach to water resource management, has provided unique opportunities to enhance efficiency and create balance in water resource utilization. However, despite the short time since its launch, the scheme has not garnered significant adoption. This research, employing a phenomenological approach, delves into the lived experiences of key stakeholders in Semnan province to gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the water market. A phenomenological analysis of data obtained from in-depth interviews with 24 key stakeholders led to the identification of 764 initial codes and semantic units, which were subsequently categorized into 126 primary themes. These primary themes were ultimately grouped into five core themes: motivations and factors influencing the formation and development of the water market, vulnerabilities and obstacles to sustainable water market development, requirements for inclusive water governance in the market era, innovative mechanisms and solutions for improving water market performance, and the consequences and outcomes of the water market. The findings include 29 motivators and drivers for the water market launch, categorized into 5 groups; approximately 23 challenges, obstacles, and vulnerabilities of the Semnan water market; 25 items related to reforming the governance system at the provincial level, encompassing dimensions such as stakeholder participation, capacity, financing, about 15 mechanisms to overcome existing challenges and obstacles; and finally, 19 positive and 15 negative consequences of the water market launch, which are analyzed in the presented model and findings section.