Construction work for building water storage reservoirs with a capacity of 55,000 cubic meters has started in Alborz Province, the head of the provincial water and wastewater company said.
“Although the region has water reservoirs to hold 500,000 cubic meters, plans are underway to increase the capacity by 40% or 200,000 cubic meters, as the water crisis is escalating,” Zolfaqar Mehdizadeh was also quoted as saying by the Energy Ministry’s news portal.
Of the total new capacity (200,000 cubic meters), close to 22,000 cubic meters are in place, about 55,000 cubic meters will become operational by March 2023 and the rest is expected to come on stream in 2024, he added.
The province’s population increases by 100,000 people per annum and supplying water to 4 million residents in the hot summer days poses a big challenge.
Mass migration, low precipitation and illegal water withdrawal from depleting underground water resources have contributed dangerously to water scarcity in the province.
According to the official, in the 1990s, groundwater was available at a depth of 15 meters, but now wells have to be dug at least 300 meters to reach water.
The pattern of relocation to the province (population 4 million and counting) from many dry regions has dramatically increased water demand.
It has also created new challenges for utilities and urban managers struggling to handle the influx.
“An estimated 1 billion cubic meters of water are consumed here annually, of which 60 mcm are provided by rivers and the balance comes from underground resources and wells,” he said.
“Households, industries and the agro sector on average use about 277 mcm, 40 mcm and 624 mcm of water every year, respectively.”
Iran's annual water consumption is near 100 billion cubic meters.
Alborz Province, 30 km northwest of Tehran, covers an area of 5,800 square km, of which 700 sq km are farmland. It has more than 3,500 industrial units, most of which produce water-intensive products like food and textile.
The textile industry is dependent on water in almost all stages of manufacturing. Dyes, specialty chemicals and finishing chemicals used to produce clothing are all applied to fabrics in water baths.
Mehdizadeh said most industrial towns are tapping into the dwindling underground water tables, as a result of which aquifer levels drop by 90 centimeters a year.
Unauthorized Wells
Referring to the other ills, the official said there are 11,000 unauthorized wells in the area through which 90 mcm of water are extracted per annum.
According to provincial authorities, the region’s groundwater balance is negative, which means that the rate of water withdrawal is above the rate of recharge.
Prolonged drought and rising temperatures in Iran, plus the blight of global warming, have reduced the replenishment of groundwater resources.
The depleting pattern has had a negative impact on the plains causing ground subsidence in some regions and exposing many others to land subsidence.
“Due to poor rainfall [250 millimeters] in the last water year [ended Sept. 22], aquifers are drying up at alarming rates,” the water official warned.
Long-term precipitation in the province has declined by a massive 32%, plunging from 400 milliliters in 1960s to 270 mm at present.
“Techniques such as aquifer management and watershed management have proven to be effective in alleviating the water crisis. Watershed and aquifer management projects worth $20 million have been carried out in Alborz Province over the last two years,” he said.
These projects, as well as the artificial recharge of aquifers (with floodwaters from Kordan River) have added 85 mcm to underground water tables in Fardis, Svojbolagh and Karaj counties in the last two years.
Watershed management describse the process of implementing land use practices and water management practices to protect and improve the quality of water and other natural resources within a watershed.
It seeks to sustain and enhance functions that affect the plant, animal and human communities within the watershed boundary.
