Qanat rehabilitation operations have gathered pace in Yazd Province and an estimated 60 underground aqueducts have been reconditioned in different counties, including Bafq, since March, the head of the provincial agricultural organization said.
“Almost 20% of water for farming in Yazd are supplied by 2,500 qanats that help irrigate 30,000 hectares of farms in Ashkezar, Abarkouh Zarch, Taft, Bafq, Ardakan and Herat,” Ali Akbar Rahmatian was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
Ten more qanats are undergoing repairs and close to $250,000 have been spent on rehabilitating qanats in the dry region over the last eight months, he added.
Despite efforts to revive qanats, many of them have dried up due to deeper wells dug in adjacent areas and a widespread drought.
Rahmatian warned that as the water crisis worsens, the volume of water extracted from the subterranean infrastructure is decreasing rapidly.
Although qanats in some counties like Khatam are full, large numbers have either been abandoned or are on the verge of drying up because of siltation in canals, urban migration and shortage of skilled workers for dredging
According to the official, almost 170,000 liters of water were drawn every day from the qanats in 2019, which in 1998 was 400,000 liters.
“With their timely rehabilitation, water shortages in dry regions like Yazd can be alleviated,” he said, concurring that many qanats have fallen into disrepair.
Although qanats in some counties like Khatam are full, large numbers have either been abandoned or are on the verge of drying up because of siltation in canals, urban migration and shortage of skilled workers for dredging.
Mountainous Regions
In mountainous Taft and Mehriz counties, close to 70% of water for farming are supplied by qanats and their timely and effective rehabilitation should be on the Energy Ministry agenda, Reza Sarafrazi, the head of Yazd Agricultural Organization’s Water Department, stressed.
“The livelihood of 30,000 farmers depends on qanats” in the hot and arid region where water deficits have become a part of life, he added.
While qanats cannot replace advanced technology in water resource management, they still have a role to play as a known sustainable groundwater source since time immemorial.
As a traditional technique for accessing and managing underground water, qanats have been used throughout history in different parts of the world, including the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Americas and west China.
Although its exact history and origin is disputable, it is believed to be an Iranian invention and has been in use forever in Iran.
Referring to Yazd, the hottest region north of the Persian Gulf, he said although qanats play an indispensable role in the desert region, of the 6,500 nearly 4,000 are unusable.
According to Sarafrazi, $40 million have been earmarked for rehabilitating qanats in Iran this year, up 170% compared to the last fiscal year.
“The funds are expected to help recondition 40 qanats mainly in Yazd, Sistan-Baluchistan and South Khorasan provinces,” he said.
“Each underground aqueduct will receive a fixed amount, depending on factors such as location, restoration needs and tourism capacity.”
UNESCO Status
Among the estimated 38,000 qanats in the country, 11 have received UNESCO’s recognition.
South Khorasan, Yazd, Kerman, Isfahan and Markazi provinces are home to the 11 qanats on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Sarafrazi said close to 14% of Iran’s water for farming come from qanats that irrigate 800,000 hectares of farmlands and fruit gardens.
Policy- and decision-makers are gradually realizing that sustainable water supply, environmental protection and agro sector development, among other things, require the revival of qanats.
For centuries, human societies in dry lands have overcome the challenges of water scarcity through traditional methods of water harvesting, one of which is qanat technology.
It is the generic term for an ancient environmentally sustainable water harvesting and conveyance technique believed to have originated in Persia in the early first millennium B.C.
According to local officials, a total of 407 types of goods are exported to 90 countries from Yazd Province, of which 10% belong to the textile industry.
Tiles and ceramics, steel products, hydrocarbons, different kinds of nylon and freezer bags, pipes and profiles, glassware, molybdenum oxide and ferromolybdenum, wires and cables, pistachio and rug cover were the top 10 goods exported from the province in the last eight months.
Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the UAE, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Syria, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia were the main export destinations.
