Iran is facing serious environmental challenges such as drought and water crisis, but the government is trying to address the problems through strategic planning, First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri pledged on the sidelines of the 14th Iran International Environment Exhibition (IRAN ENVIRO 2015) in Tehran Saturday.
"Agriculture is the major consumer of water resources, and major plans regarding water management have been presented to the Supreme Water Council. Optimum water consumption is the key factor in efficient use of national water resources," IRNA reported him as saying.
The vice-president cited the threat of particles which are creating dust storms, as the second major environmental hazard. The lives of many people are threatened by the dust storms in Khuzestan Province. "The phenomenon is not an accidental occurrence in Iran, and stems from neighboring countries," he observed.
Noting that during his recent trip to Iraq the problem of dust storms was discussed, Jahangiri said Iraqis also are suffering from the crisis and traced the problem to Syria and Saudi Arabia.
Air pollution in megacities is the third environmental problem. "Pollution has endangered the lives of over 30 million people in Iran and tackling it has been high on the government agenda since President Hassan Rouhani took office," he said.
Global standards in gasoline production, optimizing fuel use, phasing out dilapidated gas-guzzlers, and importing hybrid cars are among policies the government has adopted to confront the challenges of air pollution, he told the exhibition.
