The executive work to transfer 200 million cubic meters of desalinated water per year from the Sea of Oman to Sistan-Baluchestan is underway, director general of the National Water Data said.
“The government is determined to combat drought and help ease access to desalinated water not only in Sistan-Baluchestan but also in South Khorasan and Khorasan Razavi provinces by transferring water from the Oman Sea,” Firouz Qasemzadeh was also quoted as saying by ISNA.
In the first phase set for completion in 2024, desalinated water will be delivered from the shores of Chabahar to Sistan-Baluchestan and then the pipeline will extend to South Khorasan and Khorasan Razavi provinces. The project includes a transmission line stretching over 1,530 km, he added.
The official noted that supplying water to Chabahar City in Sistan-Baluchestan and its rural areas is the top priority.
The transmission line to Sistan-Baluchestan Province is 820 km and construction is estimated to cost $1.66 billion, he added.
The daily water deficit in Zahedan, capital of Sistan-Baluchestan Province, is about 100,000 cubic meters.
Qasemzadeh said water supply to the city, with a population of 900,000 people, is as low as 150,000 cubic meters per day, which is adequate for only 300,000 residents.
“At least 250,000 cubic meters of water are needed by Zahedan per day, but underdeveloped infrastructure has resulted in a serious water shortage, pushing people over the edge,” he said.
Chabahar is another parched region that needs at least 354,000 cubic meters of water per day.
Transferring water without harming the environment is an obligation of governments. To find the most cost-effective mode, multifaceted studies on the area’s ecological and environmental conditions, as well as the environmental impact of water projects, have been carried out.
Drinking and Industrial Use
When the project becomes fully operational, an estimated 700 million cubic meters of freshwater will be supplied annually to Sistan-Baluchestan, South Khorasan and Khorasan Razavi provinces for drinking and industrial use.
Sistan-Baluchestan in the southeast will be the first to receive water followed by the other two provinces in 2024.
The three provinces have long been suffering from acute water shortages. Environmentalists and experts say water transfer 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 believe that if the three regions cut water consumption only by 3% a year, there will be no need for multibillion-dollar projects to transfer seawater, which moves have already attracted huge controversies and environmental challenges.
It is generally believed that macro water supply projects usually exacerbate soil erosion and throw marine ecosystems out of balance.
Environmentalists warn that in addition to harming the ecosystem, water transfer (via a 1,600-km pipeline) can create false hope among farmers and undermine their obligation to rethink unacceptable and wasteful farming practices that have long reached 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.
