13/08/2026
MSW Atefeh Safarabadi Farahani’s doctoral dissertation, “A Traditional Water Management System in Transition: An Ecosocial Perspective to Falaj in Oman”, will be publicly examined on Saturday, 15 August 2026, at 12:00 in Auditorium 2 of the Agora building at the University of Jyväskylä.
The public defence will be held in English. It is also possible to follow the event online – see the link in our bio. Welcome!
“I studied the falaj water management system in Alhamra, Oman. Falaj systems transport groundwater through underground and surface channels, but they are also maintained through community rules, shared responsibilities and local knowledge.
The study examines how community roles shape water governance, how local people understand sustainability and fairness, and how modernisation has changed everyday water practices.
The research is based on 20 semi-structured interviews with members of the falaj institution, water users and experts.”
“The main finding is that the falaj is more than physical water infrastructure. It is a socio-ecological institution sustained through cooperation, trust, collective maintenance and shared responsibility.
Water distribution is organised through time-based shares and socially recognised rules, which can make access predictable and transparent. However, fairness does not always mean distributive justice, as ownership, inherited water rights and participation in decision-making may remain unequal.
Modernisation has also produced contradictory effects. Technologies, state support and household water networks can improve services and administration, while deep wells, migration and declining community participation may weaken ecological balance, local knowledge and collective responsibility.”
Read the dissertation release via the link in our bio.
