Introduction: Inappropriate management of mining activities may bring about water pollution and pose a heavy complication on aquatic ecosystem and humans. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of Qorveh gold mining activities on the quality of nearby groundwater.
Materials and Methods: The concentration of seven eco-toxic metals along with some general hydrochemical parameters were investigated for 27 sampling stations in the study area using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) and conventional hydrochemical methods. The analysis results were further applied to compute pollution indices, namely heavy metal pollution index (HPI) for irrigation purposes.
Results: The main elements were within the World Health Organization (WHO) and Iranian National Water Standards (INWS) for irrigation water quality, except for NH₄⁺ in some sampling points. The concentration of heavy metals followed the order Cu > Zn > Pb > Hg > Cd > As. The contents of Hg, As, Cd, and Cu in most sites were higher than the recommended values. Except for two stations, the value of HPI based on the mean concentration was found to be far beyond the critical pollution index value of 100, suggesting that the area is highly polluted with some heavy metals.
Conclusion: Elevated concentration of trace elements found in groundwater of this area represented the release of harmful elements from gold mining activities on surrounding environment.

Introduction: Drought is a slow-onset natural disasters and a gradual concern. Throughout the centuries, Iranians have applied various methods to preserve water resources and adjust themselves to the drought. This study was conducted with the aim of preserving water resources by households during a drought with the approach of indigenous knowledge.
Material and Methods: The study was carried out from April 2017 to June 2018. A qualitative content analysis method was used to obtain insight into personal experiences. A purposive sampling method was used to select 15 participants. The research population consisted of native villagers who lived in rural areas near the three main plains of Yazd province (Yazd-Ardakan plain, Abarkouh plain, and Herat Va Marvast plain). Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.
Results: The components related to indigenous knowledge were placed in 4 categories and 15 sub-categories. The main categories were personal hygiene, conservation of scarce resources, prediction of drought, and classification of water in terms of quality and its supply sources.
Conclusion: Indigenous knowledge reflects several generations of experience. This knowledge is a valuable resource about how local communities interact with their ever-changing environments. We must pay attention to personal health behaviors and how our ancestors used and preserved scarce resources. It is necessary to identify and correct these behaviors and support them through proper management and financial resources at the community level. To preserve water resources in droughts, it is essential to use appropriate management and policy-making and motivational methods, and educate families.