The first joint UNDP-Japan desalination unit is expected to be constructed in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan to supply water to at least 50,000 people in Chabahar’s rural regions, namely Komb, Ramin, Osmanabad and Balesar.
Claudio Providas, the United Nations Development Program’s resident representative in Iran, made the statement while touring Chabahar Economic Free Zone in Sistan-Baluchestan on Thursday accompanied by Kazutoshi Aikawa, Japan's ambassador in Tehran, and some local water officials, the Energy Ministry’s news portal reported.
“UNDP and Japan have signed an agreement to build desalination plants in Iran to supply underprivileged areas with potable water and required resources to develop farming activities,” he added.
According to the UNDP official, supplying the residents with desalinated water is of great importance, as not only can it have welfare benefits, but it will also enable them to develop their farmland.
“Sistan-Baluchestan is one of the largest and driest provinces in Iran and we are planning to take advantage of desalinated water to quench the thirst in the parched region. This trip is aimed at examining the issues and potentials of the area. We will help UNDP in its mission to transfer and process seawater to rural thirsty areas,” Aikawa said, expressing hope that the collaboration will yield positive results.
UNDP is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. It emphasizes developing local capacity towards long-term self-sufficiency and prosperity.
Japan and UNDP have already cooperated to restore Lake Urmia, once the second-largest saltwater lake in the Middle East.
Water Shortage
According to Aikawa, water shortage in Iran has reached a critical level and replacing old strategies with workable methods like integrated water resources management [IWRM], especially in the agro sector, is imperative.
“The assessment of dams’ integration, based on available data, and the monitoring of water quality with the help of advanced technology are of high importance,” he added.
Aikawa said the Japan Cooperation Center for the Middle East is willing to share knowhow to help tackle water scarcity in Iran, expressing hope that such seminars will yield positive results.
The Energy Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding with JCCME in 2017 on finding solutions to optimize water consumption.
IWRM promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.
The water resources management policies in closed lakes environments must not be lake conservation or livelihood, but rather both lake conservation and livelihood.
The Iranian government now stands at a critical turning point regarding the Lake Urmia Basin. The use of a practical IWRM approach will be essential to achieve the required balance of welfare with consensus-building among stakeholders. In this way, Lake Urmia need not face the fate of Aral Sea or Lake Chad.
JCCME was founded in 1973 during the first oil crisis by the joint efforts of the Tokyo government and private sector as a non-profit incorporated foundation.
According to Mohammad Ali Farahnakian, the energy minister’s advisor for international affairs, Tehran is keen on using international expertise and cooperation with global organizations to address its worsening water conditions.
“Water scarcity 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.
Farahnakian noted that 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.
Water Deficit
Desertification, digging of thousands of illegal water wells nationwide, 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, agricultural issues, rising consumption, waste and climate change have undermined sustainable water resources.
Novel ecological, technological, managerial and cultural solutions are of paramount importance, but are nowhere near the priority list of successive governments in Tehran.
The professor noted that all relevant executive bodies, particularly the Energy Ministry, the Department of Environment and the 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.”
