Political and Social Reflections of Land Subsidence in Iran (Case Study of Isfahan Province)

The phenomenon of land subsidence in Isfahan is the product of a complex interaction of natural and human factors, such as excessive groundwater extraction, reduced rainfall, drying up of the Zayandeh River, weakening of the ecosystem's ability to nourish groundwater aquifers, and the expansion of intensive industrial and agricultural activities, which have turned this province into one of the main centers of subsidence, such that these conditions have left significant political and social consequences in recent years. The aim of this research is to explain the reflection of the socio-political mechanisms arising from subsidence and to understand its consequences on water governance and state-society relations in Isfahan province. Accordingly, this research seeks to answer the question of how and through what channels has land subsidence become a socio-political issue in Isfahan? In this regard, the present study was conducted with a descriptive-analytical approach and qualitative content analysis method, during which official discourses, socio-political actions, media representations, and expert findings were examined. In the analysis process, the initial codes were organized into five intermediate categories and transformed into four macro-themes in the conceptual abstraction stage. The findings show that subsidence, by increasing public sensitivity and expanding collective activism, has led to the intensification of institutional conflicts and the prominence of spatial injustice, and at the same time has caused the erosion of social capital and reduced trust in official institutions. Also, the threat to infrastructure and the uncertain environmental outlook have strengthened the feeling of insecurity and socio-regional gaps.