At least 200 big cities small towns are expected to face severe water tension between June and September, the deputy for supervisory affairs at the National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company of Iran (Abfa) said.
“Close to 150 urban and rural areas were on the verge of water tension last summer. This number is projected to cross 200 largely due to poor rains (150 millimeters) since Sept. 2020 when the new water year began,” ISNA quoted Hamidreza Kashfi as saying.
Precipitation in the same period last year (Sep. 2019-Feb. 2020) was 250 millimeters. Energy Ministry data show that close to 26 million people are struggling with varying degrees of water scarcity and related challenges that have only deteriorated as the blame game continues among ministries and relevant organizations.
“Water-related challenges are complex and cannot be tackled by the Energy Ministry alone,” the Abfa official reiterated.
The ministries (including agriculture and education) and state-organizations should do their fair share to fight the problem, he said.
Following outbreak of the Covid-19 plague in Iran and other countries last year, the need to stick to health protocols has pushed up water use because of regular washing of hands and cleaning possessions and environment.
The Persian New Year (Nowruz) is three weeks away and as per tradition, spring cleaning is at its peak. Abfa has requested the people not to wash carpets, blankets, windows and other nonessential items.
Water consumption in Tehran exceeded 3 million cubic meters on Friday, which was a new high at this time of the year.
Limited Access
“Almost 45% of the population in rural areas have no or limited access to piped water and their needs are met from other regions.”
Despite reports in the media last week that diversion of water from the Caspian Sea to drought-stricken Semnan Province in north central Iran has started, the Department of Environment has not issued any license, Kashfi added.
Supplying water to rural areas (from the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf) has become the last possible option for the government. However, so long as the DoE does not issue the permits, pipe laying operations cannot start.
Independent experts and academia have repeatedly warned that Iran’s growing water shortage and other environmental challenges (including sandstorms in the southeast) are expected to reach a point of no return sooner rather than later.
Water paucity has not only triggered sociopolitical problems in the country but has also caused tension between Iran and its neighbors. Iran has stepped up competition for the control of transboundary waters -- shared aquifers and river basins – with Turkey and Afghanistan.
The government in Tehran blames the current crisis on climate change, frequent droughts and low rainfall. The worsening water crisis, most experts and academia warn, is rooted mainly in decades of mismanagement and lack of long-term planning.
They add that the government recognizes water security as a national priority and is trying to address some of the more pressing problems.
Nonetheless, most proposed solutions are shortsighted and focus on relieving problem symptoms (easing shortage) as opposed to fighting the core problems (rising demand, waste and inefficient farming).
Globally, by 2050, roughly 6.4 billion people will live in cities, and demand for water will have increased by 55%. Cities are rapidly expanding and water resources are under increasing pressure.
