Snow cover in Iran’s six catchment areas has risen by 5% between January and February, compared with the same period of last year.
According to data from the National Center for Drought and Crisis Management at Iran's Meteorological Organization, snow has now covered almost 373,000 square kilometers in Iran, yet the figure was barely 360,000 square km in 2022, IRNA reported.
Iran is divided into six primary and 31 secondary catchment areas. The six major basins are Central Plateau in Markazi Province, Caspian Sea in the north, Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman in the south, Urmia Lake in the northwest, Karakum basin in the northeast and Hamoun Wetlands in the east.
Giving a breakdown, the center reported that snow cover in Central Plateau basin has surpassed 133,000 square km, up 85% compared to a year ago when it was 72,000 km2.
The basin’s average snow cover area in the past 16 years is around 84,000 square km.
Referring to Karakum basin, the report added that snow covered area in the catchment was less than 4,000 square km last year. However, it has now reached 11,000 square km, indicating a 175% rise. The basin’s average snow cover in the past 16 years is about 14,000 square km.
Hamoun Wetlands catchment area is the other basin in which snow cover area has increased. The basin’s snow cover currently extends to 7,000 square km, but it was less than 1,000 square km a year ago.
Snow cover in Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman has stayed the same (82,000 square km), showing no change compared with the corresponding period of last year.
On the other hand, snow covered area in Caspian Sea and Urmia Lake basins has dwindled.
Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea catchment area was covered with 138,000 square km of snow last year, which has now declined to 100,000 square km, down 38% compared to last year.
Urmia Lake basin’s snow cover area has decreased by 50%, falling from 85,000 square km to less than 43,000 square km.
Despite the rise in snowfall, water paucity is still a major issue in Iran and experts such as Mohammad Ali Farahnakian, the energy minister’s advisor for international affairs, believe that Tehran should use international expertise and cooperating with global organizations to address its worsening water crisis.
“Water paucity has already taken a heavy toll on drought-stricken regions and a large number of farmers are facing serious problems in southern provinces like Khuzestan, Kerman and Isfahan,” he said.
“Drastic changes are worsening global climate change and the best way is not to be taken by surprise [by torrential rains or drought] and draw on developed countries' knowhow and expertise.”
Located in one of the world’s most water-stressed regions, Iran is among the top 20 countries with unsustainable water consumption.
Desertification, several thousand illegal water wells scattered across the country, inefficient farming and water-intensive industries are making a bad situation worse as the water deficit grows in tandem with prohibitive consumption in all sectors, mainly agriculture.
According to Professor Mahmood Ziaei, a faculty member of Tehran’s Allameh Tabataba'i University, population explosion, massive urban expansion, agriculture issues, rising consumption, waste and climate change have pushed rivalry for sustainable water resources to alarming levels.
Novel ecological, technological, managerial and cultural solutions are of paramount importance but are nowhere near the priority list of successive governments in Tehran.
Individual Gain
The professor noted that all relevant executive bodies, particularly the Energy Ministry, the Department of Environment and Agriculture Ministry, must shun individual gain and pool minds to safeguard national interests.
“The absence of such cooperation has already created a zero-sum situation, as those who have more political clout have easy access to [shrinking] water resources, while rural populations like those in the southern provinces are deprived of safe drinking water and sanitation that are basic human rights,” he said.
“Technology can play a key role in addressing the grave water crisis, but little if any progress has been made to this effect.”
Unlike those who blame the US sanctions for lack of technology development in the key water sector, Ziaei noted that despite the economic blockade, Iran has made “major breakthroughs in indigenizing advanced defense equipment. But the water sector seemingly was not a priority and investment in developing water technology has been lackluster.”
Annual water consumption in Iran is around 100 billion cubic meters, of which 90% are gobbled up by the agro sector due to outdated farming methods and dilapidated equipment.
The faculty member stressed that the people in general and those in charge need to rethink their approach toward Nature.
