In line with plans to revitalize and balance groundwater resources in Semnan Province, 302 wells were equipped with smart meters last Iranian year (March 2022-2023), deputy of protection and operation at the provincial Water and Wastewater Company said.
“Moreover, 28 illegal wells were sealed last year, which helped prevent extraction of 100,000 cubic meters of water,” Hamid Ehsani was quoted as saying by IRNA.
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.
The long-term average rainfall in Semnan Province is between 120 and 130 mm per year while the figure is 250 mm in the country. In addition, evaporation rate in Semnan is higher than the national rate. These show that the province is faced with water crisis, which should be addressed soon.
Although the province has not had trouble providing drinking water for people in the household and industrial sectors, the extraction of water from groundwater resources mostly for farming purposes has endangered the water resources of the province.
The level of groundwater resources in Semnan on average drops annually by 60 centimeters.
Drought-Stricken Province
Annual water withdrawal from dwindling underground resources in drought-stricken Semnan Province exceeds 150 million cubic meters.
Of the total extraction, close to 90% are used for unsustainable farming practices. Households and industries account for the remaining 10%.
Semnan is among the regions with one of the lowest rates of rainfall and over 95% of the province span the central desert, which shows its dire water condition.
More than 43,000 farmers earn their living from tilling the land that stretches over 198,000 hectares. They produce 1.5 million tons of farm products per annum, namely grapes, pistachio, apricot, pomegranate, olives, garlic and pepper.
In order to address the water shortage in the province, several measures have been taken including promotion of advanced irrigation techniques and recycling wastewater; however, residents still suffer from water shortages.
Semnan Water and Wastewater Company has over 320,000 subscribers in urban and rural regions. About 1.250 billion cubic meters of water are supplied in the province per year.
All the urban regions and about 90% of the rural areas are connected to the water network in the province.
