Although the number of dams in Iran has shot up by a massive 30 times over the last 40 years, the poor strategy of increasing their numbers has not eased water paucity, a water resources management expert said.
“There were barely 20 dams in Iran before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, which figure currently exceeds 580. At least 500 more dams are either under construction or will be constructed in the coming years, but water scarcity remains an unsolved issue in Iran,” Dariush Mokhtari also told ILNA.
“Oddly, the gigantic reservoirs, which were supposed to solve the chronic water shortage in the country, have turned out to be utterly useless, resulting in complicated issues for the people who live in downstream regions,” he said.
“Despite the sharp rise in the number of dams over the period, precipitation in Iran has suffered a significant decline in the same time span, meaning the amount of water stored in 580 dams now is almost equal to the amount of water stored in 20 dams in 1980.”
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