The large dams of Isfahan Province contain only 180 million cubic meters of water now, which is 74% less than the 50-year average, the director of operation and maintenance of water facilities at Isfahan Regional Water Company said.
“The current figure suggests that dams in the central province are less than 13% full,” Ehsanollah Amini was also quoted as saying by the Energy Ministry’s news portal Paven.
Referring to the latest water storage status of seven large dams in Isfahan, he said Zayandehroud Dam contains only 132 mcm of water while its storage capacity is 1.2 billion cubic meters.
“The water in the dam has declined by 10% compared to last year and 79% compared with the long-term average,” the official said.
“Golpayegan Dam currently has 9.4 mcm of water, which shows a 52% rise compared to last year, but a 37% decline compared to the long term.”
Speaking about two dams in Semirom County, Amini said the amount of water in Hana Dam has reached 9.98 mcm, which shows an increase of 22% compared with the same period of last year but compared to the long term, it has reduced by 42%.
Qara Qach is another dam in Semirom, which currently holds 50.19 mcm of water.
Khamiran Dam in Tiran and Karvan County has about 2.49 mcm of water, indicating a decrease of 14% compared to last year and 24% to the long term, Amini added.
Baghkol Dam in Khansar County holds 1.68 million cubic meters of water, which shows a 26% increase compared to this time of last year and a 24% rise compared to the long-term average.
The amount of water stored in Kamaneh Dam is 3.31 mcm, which is 31% and 7% more than last year and the long term, respectively.
Worsening Problems
Isfahan Province has been suffering from drought for several years. It is facing new problems due to the decline in precipitation that has further reduced surface water and groundwater.
The severe decline in rainfall in the central region in the past two years has caused renewed concerns among residents while its farming sector has suffered irreparable damage.
Disorganized urbanization, old and obsolete farming practices and the presence of water-intensive industries are adding pressure on the region’s rapidly dwindling water reserves.
Groundwater resources in the parched province are shrinking by a massive 3.6 billion cubic meters per annum. Of the total annual extraction, 3.3 bcm are used by 41,000 authorized wells and the rest from 21,000 illegal wells.
Over 7,000 unauthorized wells have been sealed since 2005, which helped save 215 million cubic meters of water a year in the dry central region. The drop in groundwater levels is estimated to have averaged 1 to 1.5 meters a year.
Excessive groundwater overdraft has resulted in a slow but steady land subsidence in the region. The subsidence rate in the different plains is estimated to be between 15 cm and 18 cm.
