A Topical Analysis of Stakeholders' Positions on Aras River Pollution

Introduction: River pollution poses environmental consequences for animals, plant communities, water systems, economic interests, and ‌‌human societies. The Aras River system, located in the Caucasus, is a basin of ecological, political, and economic importance for several countries. The critical and complex factors regarding the pollution of the Aras River relate to the conflicting interests, differing perspectives, and sometimes the “ideology” behind the interests and actions of the various actors involved. Some countries emphasize potential industrial development and resource exploitation over environmental concerns. In these countries, industry, agriculture, local interests, and environmental sustainability groups hold conflicting views on pollution. These disputes increasingly complicate solutions to pollution challenges, thereby delaying effective action against polluters. While much research on river pollution has focused on "the technical aspects," the social and political nature of the conflicting interests of other influential stakeholders remains an underdeveloped area.
Research question: What are the positions and roles of different actors (governments, industries, local communities, and international organizations) about the pollution of the Aras River, and how do their conflicting relationships and interests affect the management of this environmental crisis?
Research hypothesis: The conflicting interests and differing positions of various actors (governments, industries, local communities, and international organizations) have complicated the dispute over the Aras River pollution crisis and created obstacles to finding practical and sustainable solutions.
Methodology: This study, employing Clark's situational analysis method, a qualitative approach grounded in theory, offers new insights into the multifaceted issue of pollution in the Aras River. To identify the social and political processes that cause pollution in the river, in addition to reviewing environmental documents and reports, 21 in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted with academic experts and environmental specialists in the cities of Urmia, Tabriz, and Ardabil. Data analysis involved extracting key concepts and developing social maps through open coding and focused coding, using Clarke's grounded theory approach. To maximize validity and reliability, triangulation strategies and continuous comparative analysis were employed throughout the data analysis process.
Results and discussion: The structured situational mapping, which provided information about the perspectives of actors, categorized the factors involved. The categories included humans (experts, managers, and local leaders), groups (civic organizations, non-governmental organizations, and industries), non-humans (rivers and pollution), economic groups, and political-legal groups. Interviews revealed that sectors play a significant role in pollution, partly because of their financial reliance on polluting activities and partly because of their reluctance to accept environmental organizations and regulations. Governments have also performed poorly due to internal political conflicts, weak oversight, and ineffective crisis management. Local communities, legitimate victims of pollution, have also demanded greater participation in these processes, as well as compensation for their lost rights and damages; however, their voices have been silenced and ignored. Local Governments, due to bureaucratic structures and political and organizational constraints, have often abandoned local communities in favor of job opportunities, thereby reducing their roles. International agencies and non-classical actors have provided only minor and insignificant assistance, simply due to institutional constraints.
Mapping social worlds/fields identifies important social entities, including governments, industries, NGOs, local communities, and the media. Governments have limited discretion due to political or economic incentives that hinder their ability to coordinate. Short-term economic benefit assessments drive industries, and they are unwilling to take risks in changing a system. NGOs and environmental activists have created substantial public awareness and exerted tremendous pressure for change from governments and industries, but they often face difficult political obstacles. Local communities, which usually suffer from pollution, are frequently excluded from the decision-making process. The media and social media also play their role in raising public awareness and, at least indirectly, pressuring for change. Situational maps show the different perspectives of actors on responsibility and solutions for pollution reduction. Governments are handing over responsibility to industries and lack international cooperation, while industries are dismissing weak government oversight of pollution. Local communities and NGOs are holding industries and governments accountable, calling for better oversight and greater participation. In terms of possible solutions, governments envision the deployment of clean technology through international cooperation, while industries focus on financial incentives or corporate penalties. Local communities and NGOs, on the other hand, emphasize public oversight and participation, as well as the roles played by more local stakeholders. The role of international organizations as financial and technical sponsors is generally assessed positively. However, activists have highlighted inefficiencies and delays in aid delivery, as well as a lack of coordination, which have negatively impacted the effectiveness of international organizations.
Conclusion: The main polluters of the Aras River are local and transnational industries. Since they resist any regulations imposed and prefer to blame their social responsibility on the weakness of government oversight, both they and the government are the primary culprits in the pollution crisis. Local communities are direct victims of this crisis and seek social justice and participation in decision-making processes that cause pollution, but are unable to bring about change due to a lack of support from government processes, inadequate local citizen participation, or insufficient institutional structures. In the field of pollution, international organizations and those working in the field of promoting, educating, and monitoring environmental governance have only a supervisory and facilitating role, and their adequate capacities have been exhausted. Media and social networks can convey messages, but the extent to which their output can catalyze citizen engagement, knowledge, and public participation remains unclear.