Water resources in today’s societies have been considered one of the inevitable factors in the growth of the agricultural sector, industries, technologies, and the development of human societies (Burri et al., 2019; Barati et al., 2019; Herivaux and Gremont, 2019; Suter et al., 2019; Patel et al., 2020). Increasing water scarcity as a result of climate change and its coincidence with population growth, economic development, and the resulting increasing demand has become an important challenge in most parts of the world, especially in arid and semi-arid regions (Balali and Viaggi, 2015; Cosgrove and Loucks, 2015; Mai et al., 2019). So further economic development is essentially constrained by the constraints of natural water resources (Gill et al., 2017). Groundwater resources, that make up approximately a quarter of the freshwater on Earth (Minciardi et al., 2007; Balali et al., 2011), are under increasing pressure globally due to the world’s economic growth, particularly the increasing rate of irrigation and urbanization. Water needs (Qureshi et al., 2012; Gao et al., 2013; Palazzo and Brozovic, 2014; Gill et al., 2017). In this sense, in many regions around the world, unstable actions have caused significant decline and degeneration of groundwater, which has led to a range of negative consequences for both the human population and the environment (Agudelo Moreno et al., 2020; Asfaw and Ayalew, 2020; Gia et al., 2020). In some countries, such as Iran, the convergence of frequent drought periods and excessive use of surface and groundwater reserves through a series of hydraulic systems and deep wells has led to severe water shortages (Custodio et al., 2016; Madani et al., 2016; Havril et al., 2018; West et al., 2019; Agutu et al., 2020; Hamid et al., 2020). The consequences of this situation are the drying up of lakes, rivers, and wetlands, the decrease in groundwater levels, the erosion of the Earth, the decrease in water quality, and more recently, dust storms caused by soil erosion and desertification (Tweed et al., 2009; Masoud et al., 2018; Antony et al., 2020; Houemenou et al., 2020; Javadzadeh et al., 2020; Langridge and Fencl, 2020; Dinani et al., 2022).

Water demand management measures include a range of strategies, including the use of economic incentives to encourage wider adoption of water-saving technologies (Bekchanov et al., 2010). In addition, efforts can be made to shift the economy toward less water-dependent production structures (Bekchanov et al., 2014), and much of this research tends to be a very important indicator of “integrated management,” i.e., participation. The shareholders of (Carlson and Stelfox, 2011; Imran, 2013; Nash and Bray, 2014; Almeida et al., 2017) and improving the institutions of water management, including the market and water governance (Easter and Rosengrant, 1999; Dinar and Saleth, 2005; Bekchanov et al., 2014; Grafton and Horne, 2014; Wheeler et al., 2014; Najafi Alamdarlo et al., 2019). Some studies have also shown that a strong and efficient governance system can play an important role in establishing effective communication and coordination between different parts of a system, such as water resources management (Grassini, 2019; Miftari, 2019; Mirzaei et al., 2019; Pigmans et al., 2019; Ricart et al., 2019, 2023; Singh et al., 2019; D’agostino et al., 2020; Markowska et al., 2020; Sarami-Foroushani et al., 2023). The governance of existing water resources is, therefore, a key issue in achieving water security at global and regional levels (Floress et al., 2019; Pigmans et al., 2019; Islam et al., 2020; Khandker et al., 2020; Sehring, 2020).

Several characteristics of groundwater and its use for groundwater management are challenging. First, groundwater sources are not visible and their characteristics are not well known. The effects of groundwater use and pollution are often hidden and only become visible after decades or even hundreds of years (Moench, 2003; Wijnen et al., 2012; Hamilton, 2022). Second, water governance has to cope with the great diversity of groundwater resources, their users, and the impacts of their use. Moreover, groundwater is exposed to a variety of distributed point sources of pollution (Akhmouch et al., 2022; LaFrance, 2022). Third, underground waters are often subject to unstable abstraction and drainage levels. Since it is a shared resource, a single user cannot prevent others from extracting it, even fourth, groundwater users cooperating cannot be assumed to want or predict the long-term effects of groundwater pumping on others (Ostrom et al., 1994; Ostrom, 1999; Esteban and Dinar, 2013; Valadão and Silveira, 2018). Resource and environmental management is crucial for sustainable development. Managing groundwater is complex, requiring coordination across various levels and involving multiple departments. Effective strategies must integrate scientific research, policy-making, and community engagement to ensure sustainable use of groundwater resources.More informal power can be effective in the allocation of funds, can often yield significant effectiveness when it comes to the distribution and allocation of funds (Schlager, 2007; Schlager and Blomquist, 2008; Saurav et al., 2022; Schipanski et al., 2023). Governance of water systems is a broader concept of governance that emphasizes only the relationship between society and the state (Baranyai, 2020; Closas and Villholth, 2020; Hamer et al., 2020; Sehring, 2020; Talukder and Hipel, 2020). This concept means that the policy-making and management of water resources are socially accepted and aim to ensure sustainable development, the proper application of water resources, and the implementation of these policies with effective cooperation between the stakeholders involved in the process (Rogers and Hall, 2003; OECD, 2011; Baranyai, 2020; Dwianika et al., 2020; Jiménez et al., 2020).

An important aspect of governance is the consideration of human resources and the organizational relationships of individuals as a group of people or stakeholders. Undoubtedly, various interest groups and stakeholders are involved in local water governance, so their participation in the decision-making process of water governance is a key factor for the success of local water governance (Linnert et al., 2013; Ghorbani, 2014). Therefore, communication between stakeholders should be prioritized in planning and governance as the most important source for water resources management and governance (Ghorbani et al., 2013; Linnert et al., 2013).

Considering that “political science aims to determine how much and on what basis power is distributed and who holds it in which institutions,” the distribution of power in a political society determines where conflicts arise and how they should be resolved. Should all parties be routinely concerned about resolving problems, or only some parties?» (Betts and Stouder, 2004). The efficiency of any system requires coordination of institutional power, which must be balanced with the rights of all network actors. Power often derives from the position of an entity, also called institutional, traditional, administrative, or formal and legal power (Cohen). Unequal distribution of power between organizations, insufficient cooperation between actors (stakeholders), and inadequate relationships between them the results of Mohammadi Kangarani et al. (2010) showed that a relationship with the main power center (governor) is effective. In the allocation of funds and more informal power can be effective in the allocation of funds. Lewis (2006) showed that the main powers in police and health management networks in Australia are academics and doctors, with influential college staff and research institutes later falling into the next category.

The process of stakeholder analysis is of great importance as it enables the identification of primary stakeholders, their origins, and their objectives in the planning process (Maurice and Burleson, 2012). The technique has become increasingly popular in various academic disciplines such as environmental protection, management, and governance and is used by policymakers and researchers (Friedman and Miles, 2006; Raum, 2018). As some argue, stakeholder analysis is a comprehensive technique or process of identifying the key participants or stakeholders in a system and assessing their interests in that system (Reid et al., 2009; Lienert et al., 2013; Ghalleban Tekmedash et al., 2016; Taheri Tizro et al., 2018; Wutich et al., 2020).

This analysis provides useful information for people involved in water resource management programs. It can be considered the input of other analyses used to design strategies and facilitate support for modifier schemes (Billgren and Holmén, 2008). Water resources in Iran seriously suffer from the improper structure of water governance and management (Enteshari and Safavi, 2019; Valizadeh et al., 2019; Ghafoori Kharanagh et al., 2020) So, while groundwater sources are harvested at the same level, discharge speeds vary by plain (Khatunabadi, 2015; Akhani, 2016). In the Iranian water sector, the number of stakeholders and the regulation of Water Resources are naturally accompanied by many conflicts and competitions (Dinani et al., 2022). In addition, the hierarchical makeup of the water management system has created prospects for corrupt practices and significant inadequacies in the implementation of decisions (Bastani and Raeisi, 2012; Arabameri et al., 2019; Khosravi et al., 2019; Razavi and Vakil, 2019; Shariat et al., 2019; Rahnama et al., 2022). Because the Hamdan-Bahar plain is one of the agricultural poles of the country and its role in agricultural production is very important, it was declared a forbidden plain due to the excessive exploitation of groundwater basins and the negativity of groundwater resources. Considering that one of the factors in the reduction of groundwater resources is humans, the lack of attention to the role and impact of groundwater and its official acceptance in the planning processes has created several challenges. This study identifies the Gurdaran and their involvement in the protection and sustainable use of water resources. The main objective of this study is to analyze the Gurdaran and apply appropriate strategies to resolve disputes to develop the prospects for sustainable water resources management projects in the region. It is, therefore, crucial to consider all stakeholders in the management of natural resources, including water resources, as the success of a program, decision-making process, or resource policy is critical. If their role is overlooked, an area may be challenged (Shariat et al., 2019; Tatar et al., 2019).

The importance–performance matrix is more important and acceptable due to the presentation of strategic data and proposals. The results of the two power matrices—interest and importance matrix—performance are compared and interpreted. Thus, the subject of this study is whether groundwater resource issues are influenced by power factors or the interests of individuals and organizations. Who is responsible for the management of water resources and under what conditions are they managed? Based on these findings, strategies and plans are planned and implemented to achieve responsible and sustainable resource management. Therefore, this study goes beyond stakeholder power and examines the impact of the position of stakeholder power on resources using the matrix of the importance of performance.

This study has two main objectives:

To have a sustainable upward trajectory, it is smart to think carefully about the types of stakeholders for better project management. Undoubtedly, proper management of resources will not be possible regardless of the stakeholders and their roles and status. One of the important goals of stakeholder analysis is to reveal and consequently reduce the imbalance between different groups involved in the policy-sharing process. The complexity of policy and multiplicity of stakeholders require an analyst’s policy, well equipped with appropriate methodology. We aimed to find how to distinguish important stakeholders from unimportant stakeholders in this research. The use of the stakeholders’ analysis framework helped the authors identify and specify the stakeholders of groundwater resources in the region in more detail. The first step involved the identification, in line with the main objective of the investigation, of different stakeholders in the groundwater resources by considering their level of power and interests. The Hamedan-Bahar plain, located between Hamedan and Bahar counties, was the area in which the stakeholders of groundwater were studied. According to the results, there are many actors and stakeholders involved in the groundwater resources of this plain. Therefore, different strategies for each stakeholder must be considered so that planners and policymakers can implement their programs and projects with fewer imbalance and differences.

The outcomes derived from the PIM have illustrated that both factions of agriculturalists and the Regional Water Organization possess considerable power and influence, and after that the Ministry of Agriculture, the Parliament, and the Judiciary in terms of groundwater resources. Therefore, they are the key drivers of decision-making and the implementation of laws and policies on groundwater resources. Creditors should participate in this level of interaction in the management and planning of long-term strategies, resource monitoring systems, preservation and sustainability of the ecosystem, sustainable provision of supply and demand, adoption of innovative solutions, and provision of capital to create new infrastructure in the region. The results of this section overlap with the findings of Kant and Lee (2004) and Hatami Yazd et al. (2017) regarding the influence of creditors and the necessity of their presence in decision-making and planning, as well as Ebrahimi et al. (2018)and Eghbali et al. (2020).

Results showed that the farmers were the second stakeholders They had high interest and high power. This group comprises key players and benefits the most from groundwater resources. They must be closely involved in the implementation of projects and programs to increase their participation and feel responsible. In addition, two legislative and supervisory organizations, including the state governorate and the judiciary, have more power and interests in this field. Because of their legal and monitoring position, this group plays a significant role and influences the region in ensuring the proper implementation of laws and regulations and in preventing lawlessness and conflict. The results of the research conducted by Ebrahimi (2015), Ghafourifard et al. (2015), Yamaki (2017), Taheri Tizro et al. (2018), Barzola et al. (2019), and Ghanian et al. (2021), and are similar to this section.

In the third quarter, there are the village councils, district government, municipality, religious authorities (such as clergymans), and universities. This section is referred to the weak drivers because, according to the diagram, it has both low power and low importance. Low-power and low-interest stakeholders are known as “cheerleaders.” Because of their role and position, this group has a small amount of power and interest in implementing or changing any regulations, and they are less effective. The results of this section are in line with the findings of Mousavi Nokandeh et al. (2014) regarding the farmers’ influence and position in managing and advancing the sustainable management goals of natural resources, Rastogi et al. (2010), based on the role of farmers in the management of protected areas, Elsawah et al. (2011) in Australia, emphasizing the recognition of farmers for the management of groundwater resources, and Yang (2013), based on the key role of farmers in water management plans. Stakeholders in the fourth quarter are organizations and institutions with high interest and low power, such as academics, the Water Associations, the Natural Resources Organization, the Judiciary, and the Municipality. With their interests and motivations, these organizations help improve the programs and correctly implement laws and programs prepared for groundwater resources. Therefore, it is necessary to provide them with sufficient information about the status and progress of the project through continuous communication. The proposed strategy for this group is the strategy of making the stakeholders satisfied. The findings obtained in this section are consistent with the results of Stave (2003), Elsawah et al. (2013, 2015), Taheri Tizro et al. (2018), Ebrahimiazarkharan et al. (2019), and Payste et al. (2020).

The innovation of this research in terms of the method is that the PIM method and the structural equation model were used simultaneously. On the other hand, this study was able to integrate the conventional model of power-interests into one of the most important and key stakeholders of the agricultural sector with the important issue of groundwater resources. The limitations of this study are the impact of subjective biases in assessing the power and interests of each identified beneficiary. Therefore, this issue can be tested in future studies. Many variables are out of the researcher’s control, such as the influence of laws and powers of officials, customary conditions and native and local agreements in the studied region. Additionally, there may be unidentified individuals or organizations that can directly and indirectly affect groundwater resources. The most significant limitation of the research was coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic, which created some constraints for field researchers to gather data.