A project to transfer water from the Sea of Oman to the arid Isfahan Province has registered 40% progress in less than a year and is progressing rapidly, Isfahan’s governor general said.
“A 920-kilometer pipe is being laid from Sirik County, Hormozgan Province, in southern Iran to the central province, one-third of which is already in place,” Seyyed Reza Mortazavi was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
Land subsidence has reached a critical juncture in some parts of the region due to excessive water withdrawal from underground resources. Hence, the acceleration of water supply projects to the province can help prevent an impending environmental disaster, he added.
Close to 13 billion liters of water have been extracted from dwindling groundwater ecosystems in and around Zayandehroud River over the last few years, which resources belong to future generations but are being utilized now.
“When the first phase is complete, about 200 million cubic meters of water will be transferred annually from the sea to the central parts of the country. The figure will rise to 400 mcm per year upon the project’s completion in two years,” he said.
According to the official, desalinated water will be used in the province’s industries and mines that have limited access to underground water resources.
The executive operations of the project, launched last September, are now underway in 20 workshops in different regions and provinces along the route of the project, he added.
Continuous drought and decline in precipitation have resulted in a drastic reduction of water in Zayandehroud Dam in Isfahan, which is the main source of water for drinking, agriculture and industrial sectors to the famous tourist city of Isfahan.
Land Subsidence
Close to 2.5 million residents in the region are being unsettled by the gradual or sudden sinking of the ground, Mohammad Taqi Naqdali, a lawmaker from the province, said.
Rapidly declining water resources have compelled water officials in the arid province to increase the number of plains from which water withdrawal is banned to 30, he added, noting that there are totally 35 plains in the region.
Naqdali said plains in Borkhar and Mahyar counties, which extend over 4,000 square kilometers, are in imminent danger, as all aquifers in the areas have already been emptied.
Based on estimates by organizations like the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, if a piece of land sinks 4 millimeters a year, it is in critical conditions and the residents of the region are in danger.
The land is sinking by about 40 centimeters in Borkhar and Mahyar plains annually, which is 100 times higher than the global standards.
"The problem has evolved over a long time and cannot be addressed overnight, but we hope that short-term measures will help improve present conditions and prevent the expansion of land subsidence," he said.
The official stressed that as 90% of the water are used in crop irrigation across the province, farmers should be taught to adopt methods compatible with the region's climate.
Disorganized urbanization, old and obsolete farming practices and the presence of water-intensive industries such as Mobarakeh Steel Company are adding pressure on Isfahan’s rapidly dwindling water reserves.
Groundwater resources in the parched region are shrinking by a massive 3.6 billion cubic meters per annum. Of the total annual extraction, 3.3 bcm are drawn from 41,000 authorized wells and the rest from 21,000 illegal wells.
Gavkhouni Wetland
Once the pride of the region, Zayandehroud originates in the mountains of Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Province and flows eastward toward Isfahan before ending up in the famous Gavkhouni Wetland.
As Zayandehroud is drying up, only 4% of the surface of Gavkhouni Wetland are covered by water. The wetland stretches over 47,000 hectares and its water rights include 176 million cubic meters of water from Zayandehroud annually. For all practical purposes, this right has been violated.
Disorganized urbanization, obsolete farming practices and the presence of water-intensive industries are putting 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.
Referring to another project, which has already started, to help ease water stress, Isfahan’s governor general said the project includes the supply of 560 million cubic meters of water from the water resources of southern Isfahan.
Mortazavi emphasized that the project needs to be supported by the Energy Ministry so that water can reach the targeted destination next year.
