More than 8,000 illegal water wells have been filled and sealed in Isfahan Province in the past 17 years, managing director of the provincial Regional Water Company said.
“During this period, 4,231 unauthorized drilling machines and equipment in the province have been confiscated,” Hassan Sasani was also quoted as saying by the Energy Ministry’s news portal Paven.
The provincial authority is still faced with the problem of illegal wells, and “since the beginning of the current year [March 21], 230 such wells have been filled,” he added.
The official said that since 2017, 4,000 smart electromagnetic meters have been installed on agricultural and industrial wells.
“With thsee measures, about 228 million cubic meters of underground water have been saved,” Sasani added.
A smart electricity meter digitally sends meter readings to energy suppliers and ensures accurate billing. Smart meters also come with monitors so that users can see and better understand their consumption.
Utilities in many developed and developing countries are promoting advanced electricity meters for economic and environmental reasons, especially to cut costs and reduce consumption.
Illegal wells, improper consumption and over-extraction from groundwater resources, as well as the flouting of the water rights of Zayandehroud river and Gavkhouni Wetland have caused land subsidence in Isfahan Plains.
As a result of water resource mismanagement in the past decades and its adverse consequences, which include digging of illegal wells and unsustainable agricultural development, many aquifers and groundwater resources have become dry.
Water Deficit Lingers
According to Isfahan Regional Water Company data, there are over 42,000 authorized wells in the central province that extract an average of 3.5 billion cubic meters of water annually.
Although unauthorized water wells are sealed constantly in the province, water deficit continues to linger; the reason is that as more wells are sealed, the more farmers dig illegally. This is why the well sealing programs are not producing the desired results in the main farming regions and in areas where people own big horticultural land.
Imposing stringent rules and spreading the culture of frugal consumption together can help put an end to the vicious cycle, as 80% of the province are suffering from dry and disturbing water conditions to varying degrees.
There is no dry-land farming in Isfahan due to low precipitation (120 millimeters a year), as groundwater tables and aquifers meet most of the farming needs. Only 569,000 hectares (about 5%) of the province’s 10 million hectares are arable.
Located in an arid region with minimal rain, Isfahan has been struggling with drought for years, which has resulted in the drying up of the famous Zayandehroud river.
Zayandehroud originates in the mountains of Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Province and flows eastward toward Isfahan before ending up in Gavkhouni Wetland. Officials say Isfahan's struggle with drought has made it difficult to supply farms with dam water while upholding the water rights of Zayandehroud and Gavkhouni.
Disorganized urbanization, old and obsolete farming practices and the presence of water-intensive industries are putting increasing pressure on the region’s rapidly dwindling water reserves.
