Desalination Still in Its Infancy

Desalinated water accounts for a meager 0.1% of the total annual water consumption in Iran while in some neighboring countries like Saudi Arabia it is 70%.
Iran's annual water consumption is about 99 billion cubic meters, of which less than 100 million cubic meters (per annum) is produced via 60 desalination plants in the coastal regions, namely Khuzestan, Hormozgan and Bushehr, ILNA reported.
Approximately 142 million cubic meters of seawater is desalinated on a daily basis around the globe. However, Iran's share is a meager 250,000 cubic meters.
Although Iran is located in an arid and semi-arid area, access to vast resources of saltwater in the north (Caspian Sea) and south (Persian Gulf) is a major advantage that has not been used as expected. 
Two decades of drought are taking a severe toll on Iran’s depleting water resources. To handle the worsening water crisis, desalination is becoming a viable option in many countries where seawater is in abundance.