Although water ownership has become one of the most critical problems in the world, especially in the Middle East, policy and decision makers in Iran are still preoccupied with raising crude oil output and prices, and they seem to be oblivious of the fact that the ownership of water supplies will bring neighboring countries into conflict sooner or later, the director of Iran Water Industry Federation said.
"As renewable energies are expanding their footprint at a faster than expected pace in the world, oil and its derivatives will lose their importance in a foreseeable future and water, not petroleum, is expected to emerge as the world's most vital product," Alireza Shariat was also quoted as saying by ILNA.
As water becomes increasingly precious worldwide, it is projected that more conflicts will arise as several nations compete for limited water resources. Indeed, water-related tensions have mounted among Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Afghanistan, which share borders.
The earth is indeed the blue planet due to an abundance of oceans, but only 1% of its water is fresh and accessible. Agriculture and industry are thirsty for that limited supply and the environment is in steep decline because of human mismanagement.
All these competing forces have convinced experts, including Shariat, to agree that “water will replace petroleum as the 21st century's core commodity”, with nations rich in water resources enjoying enormous social and economic advantages over those lacking them.
Geopolitical Proximity
The official noted that given its geopolitical proximity (Caspian Sea to the north and Persian Gulf in the south), Iran has almost always been exposed to international water conflicts.
Faced with major water-related challenges, Iran is finding it increasingly difficult to provide industries, agriculture and its people with water. Water experts insist that discussing water management with other countries and drawing on their experience should be a priority.
Shariat stressed that although water scarcity is one of the biggest environmental challenges facing Iran, inefficient management of the valuable resource is largely to blame for a crisis that has emerged over the years.
"There is no doubt that current critical conditions of Iran's rapidly vanishing wetlands and groundwater resources are mainly due to the inept water management, rather than the drought itself," he added.
Iranians were once pioneers of water management and innovated techniques such as aqueducts, but the creative strategies have long been neglected.
According to the official, the most significant missing strategy is "territory planning" that determines which development project can be implemented in a certain region based on climatic specifications. For instance, water-intensive crops must not be cultivated in regions suffering from water shortage.
Shariat complained that unfortunately, this issue is very poorly considered by officials.
Agro Mismanagement
Mismanagement is also evident in the agriculture sector.
"The revenue earned from the sale and export of many types of crops does not equal the value of water used for their irrigation," he said. Reportedly, about 89% of the country’s water resources are used up by unsustainable and wasteful farming practices.
"Seeking international collaboration, starting joint agricultural projects with other countries, addressing indirect water wastage and raising public awareness about water shortage are among solutions repeatedly emphasized by authorities, but these have never received adequate attention," he said.
According to Mohammad Hossein Papoli Yazdi, the head of the Iranian Association of Geopolitics, many environmental challenges such as drought and dust storms are the outcomes of ineffective water diplomacy.
“Water has become as valuable as oil and future wars will be over this key natural resource. Our country will have to face the consequences of the international water crisis in the next 10 years, if it fails to find solutions with the aid of diplomacy today," he said.
The expert noted that although policies are in place regarding domestic water resources, there is an absence of a clear and comprehensive strategy on cross-border sources, to which Iran is legally entitled.
"In general, the country has no water diplomacy at the regional and international scale," Yazdi said.
Iran has already suffered losses due to the lack of political dialogue on water with Afghanistan and Iraq, but the most significant are ecological issues resulting from Turkey's large-scale damming project.
