Water stored in Khuzestan Province’s dams has dwindled by a massive 5 billion cubic meters compared to a year ago, the head of Provincial Water and Electricity Company said.
“Karkheh and Dez dams in the region now barely hold 4 bcm of water, while they collected more than 9 bcm of water last year,” Farhad Izadjou was also quoted as saying by ISNA.
Stressing that rice cultivation in the southern province should have been totally banned due to water shortage, he said, “We advised farmers to cultivate alternative crops such as pulses, sunflowers, soybeans and fodder, which are less water-intensive, but most of them did not pay attention.”
The official noted that land under rice cultivation in Khuzestan has increased from 60,000 hectares in 2020 to 90,000 hectares at present.
“The condition is critical because a part of the water in dams [4 bcm] must be saved for use in fall for farming practices,” he added.
Agricultural and environment experts have been urging the government for years to restrict rice farming to the water-rich provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran, which are home to the majority of Iran’s paddy fields, and to ban the activity in the rest of the country.
Apart from the two northern provinces, rice is currently cultivated in Khuzestan, Isfahan, Fars, Kohgilouyeh-Boyerahmad, Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari, Ilam, Qazvin, Lorestan, Zanjan, Sistan-Baluchestan, Kurdestan, Ardabil, East Azarbaijan and North Khorasan. Most of these provinces are facing an acute water shortage.
“If the southern cities of Abadan and Khorramshahr do not receive 75 cubic meters of water per second, a large number of palm groves and paddy fields will dry up within three weeks,” he said.
Years of shortages have pushed the locals over the edge and a group of angry residents protested in the past few days, demanding clean water and warning those in charge of the rapidly worsening disaster.
According to provincial authorities, around 700 small towns and villages in the oil-rich region have difficulty accessing water supply, especially in summer when people are forced to remain indoors as the mercury hovers around 55 degrees Celsius.
Social Responsibilities
Khuzestan is home to the largest oil and gas plants in Iran along with steel companies. The Karoun and Maroun oil and gas companies, the National Iranian Drilling Company, Maroun and Razi petrochemical companies and Khuzestan Steel Company are giant companies that have failed to fulfill their social responsibilities.
In addition to the severe water crisis, the southwestern province has to bear the brunt of dust storms that have increased in both frequency and intensity in recent years.
While a majority of dust and sand storms originate beyond Iran’s borders, such as Iraq, Syria and Saudi Arabia, domestic sources of the storms are contributing to the grave problems due to a variety of factors, most of which are manmade.
Local residents believe that the Department of Environment can do nothing of substance, as it lacks the political will and financial ability.
Instead, they point the finger of blame at the Energy Ministry whose unending love for dam construction and water schemes has dried up rivers and wetlands in the arid province, turning them into barren land and contributing to the dust storms.
The first phase of a long-awaited project to divert water from Karoun River to Gheyzaniyeh rural district in Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province, came on stream in 2020, a deputy head of the provincial Rural Water and Wastewater Company, Adel Harbavi, said.
“The 60-kilometer pipeline carries 17,000 cubic meters of potable water [per day] from Sheyban water treatment facilities, in central Bavi County, to 30 rural areas in Gheyzaniyeh, including Sofeyreh.”
Before the pipeline was established, 16,000 people suffered chronic water shortages [for three years] as less than 4,000 cubic meters of water were pumped to Gheyzaniyeh district every day.
Referring to the second phase of the scheme, Harbavi said a 30-km pipeline is being extended from Sofeyreh Village to 55 rural districts in Gheyzaniyeh, namely Nezeheh.
“The project is estimated to cost $2 million and will be completed in September to supply 10,000 rural folks with piped water,” he added.
Gheyzaniyeh is the biggest of the three districts in Ahvaz and is crisscrossed by main roads from Ahvaz to Mahshahr, Ramshir and Ramhormoz.
Located close to Karoun River, the area has been deprived of adequate drinking water for years.
Local residents in Gheyzaniyeh say there are at least 300 oil wells in the region, but the people have been suffering from water shortage for years.
