Work on the project to supply water to Birjand in South Khorasan Province has resumed after a one-year gap.
With the allocation of funds, the project is expected to be completed within the next two years, IRNA reported.
The project linking Mokhtaran Plain to Rakat Plain to supply water to Birjand was abandoned last year when it had made only 13% progress due to a lack of funds. Now with the allocation of a new credit line worth $12 million, the project has restarted and when completed, 150 liters per second of water will be transferred to the provincial capital.
Birjand has been facing water stress in the past few years. A number of projects has been carried out to address the city's water supply problems, but more needs to be done.
At present, Birjand drinking water is supplied from 34 wells and four plains. On average, about 70,000 cubic meters of water are used daily in the city, which is the highest amount of water that can be provided for the city.
Considering the capacity of water storage tanks and the rise in water consumption in summer on the one hand, and the possibility of power outages and blackouts that can halt the operation of some wells during the hot season on the other hand, the regional Water and Wastewater Company will face challenges in supplying water to Birjand.
Regarding the water transfer project, so far six wells have been drilled, eight kilometers of pipelines have been laid and a 1,000 cubic meter storage tank has been built.
According to reports, about 50% of the province’s villages are now deserted. Of the 3,500 villages, 1,600 are devoid of people.
Dwindling water resources and vanishing farmlands leave the rural folks with no option but to move to cities in increasing numbers to find work.
Recurrent droughts have led to the desiccation of 15% of aqueducts and reduction of water levels in 30% of South Khorasan aqueducts.
The gradual loss of water resources has prompted people to take drastic measures, such as digging illegal wells and withdrawing excess water, that have exacerbated the water problem.
Iran is situated in an arid and semi-arid region, and the average precipitation rate has fallen below the global average, while underground water resources are fast drying up.
Diverting Water From Sea of Oman
South Khorasan has 11 cities. Another plan to help alleviate the water issues in the eastern province is transferring water from the Sea of Oman.
Extraction, desalination and transfer of water from the Oman Sea to Sistan-Baluchestan, South Khorasan and Khorasan Razavi provinces is among measures taken by the government to combat drought and help ease access to water in the three provinces.
When the project becomes fully operational, about 750 million cubic meters of fresh water will be supplied annually to three provinces for drinking and industrial use.
The three provinces have been suffering from acute water shortages. Environmentalists and experts say the transfer of water from the Sea of Oman through pipelines to the parched and water-stressed regions is the last option to tackle the water crisis.
Farmers in Sistan-Baluchestan, South Khorasan and Khorasan Razavi provinces consume 11 billion cubic meters of water a year. Experts have said that if the three regions were to cut water consumption by only 3% a year, there will be no need for the multibillion-dollar projects to transfer seawater, which initiatives have already invited huge controversies and environmental challenges.
It is generally believed that ambitious water transfer projects usually lead to environmental disasters like exacerbating soil erosion and roiling marine ecosystems.
Environmentalists warn that in addition to harming the ecosystem, water transfer via a 1,600-km pipeline can create false hope among farmers and make them neglect their obligation to reform unacceptable and wasteful farming practices that have long reached a crisis point.
A study conducted by the World Resources Institute has ranked Iran as the world's 24th most water-stressed nation, putting it at extremely high risk of future water scarcity.
