Qanats and Lifeworlds in Iranian Plateau Villages by Paul Ward English
Water is not just a political tool, but also the lifeblood of a community. Every single one in the world, stripped to the bare minimum, can only survive if close to a fresh water supply. It is used for people, animals, and plants, and is key to life across the world. However, sometimes finding an oasis or a source of water in an arid environment may become difficult, near impossible, so in his article Paul Ward English touches upon the innovative creation of qanats, or underground channels and tunnels for groundwater to travel to remote villages from the hills these pools may reside inside. English goes into the history and usage of qanats, as well as the ingenious creation to satisfy the demand for domestic water, a need that causes some cities in the Middle East to ration water, and the need for qanats continues to grow.
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As stated in the article, due to increasing water shortages other means had to be found as new technologies and hydraulic systems are to be found. The older, easily maintainable water systems were replaced with modern, less workable ones that are somehow more productive than the classic ways. Unfortunately this includes the use of qanats, and their replacements, deep wells, are now changing the entire lifestyle of those in the region. The history of the qanat extends back centuries into Iran’s past, before Iran was even a thought. They were ingenious for their time, more sophisticated than aqueducts due to the extensive tunnel building and reliance on gravity, and older by several centuries. The creation of the qanats coincides with the rising need for mining of minerals deep beneath the earth, and was eventually discovered to be the best way to deliver water closer to the small villages scattered amongst the