The first phase of the project to supply water to 108 villages in South Khorasan Province has registered a more than 60% progress so far, the managing director of the provincial water and wastewater company said.
“The second phase of the project, which includes supplying water to 145 villages, will start soon, and the third phase to supply potable water to another 357 villages is also on the agenda of the company,” the Energy Ministry’s news portal Paven quoted Mehdi Doosti as saying.
“About 15,000 people will have access to safe and sustainable drinking water when the project is complete,” he added.
In addition to the water supply projects, operations are underway to complete three artificial groundwater recharge projects in the drought-stricken South Khorasan. Such projects have so far made over 50% progress.
Groundwater levels are declining across the region, as withdrawals exceed the rate of replenishment in aquifers, that’s why artificial recharge has become a priority.
Close to $500,000 have so far been invested in these projects and they require another $2 million to become operational.
Artificial recharge (also known as planned recharge) is a way to store groundwater at times of surplus to meet demand during a shortage.
This is an established practice, as the long history of experimentation and implementation of full-scale recharge projects exists and clearly shows the benefits of this technology.
Groundwater Resources
The reduction in the quantity and quality of groundwater resources is one of the effects of drought, which has worsened water shortage in the province.
Every year, about 905 mcm of water are extracted from the province's groundwater resources, of which 88% are used in agriculture, 9% in households and 3% in industries and services.
The dependence of more than 99.8% of water consumption in South Khorasan on groundwater resources and increasing extraction have created a difficult situation for the provincial plains, such that land subsidence has increased.
There are eight dams in South Khorasan with a total capacity of 75 million cubic meters.
Due to the absence of permanent rivers and lack of access to the sea, water in the border and desert province is supplied from groundwater resources, including wells, springs and aqueducts.
According to the latest data, nearly 50% of the province’s villages are now deserted. Of the 3,500 villages, 1,600 are devoid of people.
Dwindling water resources and vanishing farmlands compel rural residents to migrate to cities in increasing numbers to find work.
Recurrent droughts have led to the desiccation of 15% of aqueducts and reduction of water levels in 30% of South Khorasan aqueducts.
The gradual loss of water resources has prompted people to take drastic measures, such as digging illegal wells and withdrawing excess water that have further exacerbated the water problem.
Semnan Water Woes
In related news, the head of the Water and Wastewater Company of Semnan City, capital of the namesake province, said that although the city requires 1,400 liters per second of water, the supply of drinking water is lower than that.
“The deficit of drinking water supply is estimated to be around 300 liters per second,” Esmaeil Yazdanfard added.
“2,000 new subscribers have been added to the water consumers of Semnan since last year and it is necessary to increase the amount of water supply to subscribers as well,” he said.
“Until the beginning of this year [March 21], 21 wells were used for water supply in Semnan, but due to the decline in rainfall and drought in the region and a fall in the level of groundwater resources, more wells have been added to the water supply network by organizations, executive bodies and municipalities. Currently, a total of 30 wells are used to meet part of the water needs of Semnan City.”
This is while the excessive use of underground water sources has led to the irreparable phenomenon of land subsidence.
According to reports, 340 liters per second of water needs of Semnan are met by surface water and nearly 70-75% of its needs are supplied from groundwater sources. This is contrary to the situation in the past when the largest volume of water was supplied by surface sources.
