Construction of a 50-kilometer pipeline from Karoun River to Gheyzaniyeh district in Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province, will end in June, a deputy head of provincial Rural Water and Wastewater Company said.
“The pipeline will help supply sufficient water (12 million cubic meters per day) to the region, alleviating water crisis to some extent [that has pushed the locals over the edge],” Adel Harbavi was quoted as saying by ILNA.
More than 25,000 people live in 85 villages in this district, but receive 6 mcm of water per day that is not enough. Most people make a living through livestock breeding and have to use piped water for their herds.
“In addition to insufficient water, most pipelines are worn-out and need to be replaced.”
Referring to the project that started in 2017, he noted that the 6-million dollar plan is almost over and at least 70 villages will be supplied with piped water. At present, close to 1,000 rural people are supplied drinking water via tankers [at times posing health risks].
Residents of the oil region, especially in the central city Ahvaz, are usually forced to remain indoors in summer when the mercury hovers around 55 degrees Celsius.
Khuzestan is home to some the largest oil, gas and steel companies, most of which are apparently oblivious to their social-environmental responsibilities
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 15 years.
Homes at the far end of Gheyzaniyeh have no running water and people spend several hours in long lines to get water from tankers.
Reportedly a group of people protested in the region over the last few days to warn officials of the worsening water crisis. They closed the Ahvaz-Ramhormoz-Omidieh highway and disrupted the transit route for a several hours.
Gheyzaniyeh is the biggest of the three districts in Ahvaz County and is crisscrossed by main roads from Ahvaz to Mahshahr, Ramshir and Ramhormoz.
Rich But Poor
Khuzestan is home to some of the largest oil, gas and steel companies namely the Karoun and Maroun Oil and Gas companies, the National Iranian Drilling Company, the Maroun and Razi Petrochemical Companies and Khouzestan Steel Company, most of which are apparently oblivious to their social-environmental responsibilities.
The district is deprived but considered “wealthy” due to its rich underground hydrocarbon reserves.
Gheyzaniyeh is close to Karoun River, one of the biggest rivers in Iran and the only navigable waterway in the country. But for years farmers of this district have been deprived of drinking water and have minimum health facilities. For years they have been promised action on the water crisis, but nothing has been done yet.
Water connects every aspect of life. Access to safe water and sanitation can quickly turn problems into potential – empowering people with time for school and work, and contributing to improved health for women, children, and families.
Today, 785 million people or one in nine lack access to safe water and 2 billion people –1in 3 – lack access to a toilet.
Water crisis is a health crisis. Nearly 1 million people die each year from water, sanitation and hygiene-related disease that can be reduced with access to safe water or sanitation. Every 2 minutes a child dies from a water-related disease.
Access to safe water and sanitation contributes to improved health and helps prevent the spread of infectious disease like Covid-19 that has infected over 5 million people across the globe.
