Showing disregard to depleting renewable water resources will not allow the economy to flourish, as groundwater tables and economic growth have become more interdependent than ever, Energy Minister said.
“Unlike commodities like raw materials or foodstuff, water can neither be imported nor produced. Hence, available resources must be managed with utmost care, as otherwise irreparable damage will be inflicted on natural resources,” Ali Akbar Mehrabian was also quoted as saying by ISNA.
“As long as economic growth is not proportional to accessible water resources, it cannot be sustained in the long run,” he added.
Renewable water resources, the average flow of rivers and recharge of aquifers by precipitation are limited and they keep dwindling.
According to the minister, 70% of people around the globe reside in the proximity of seas and use desalinated water to meet their needs that is totally stable and economical. Nonetheless, development in areas far from the seas cannot be sustainable unless water sources are managed carefully.
“Any kind of development, whether it is social, commercial or economic, is next to impossible if water resources are disregarded,” he said.
“Countries can import their much-needed food or other essential goods, but importing massive volumes of water is not possible as most nations need their own resources and are unwilling to trade it.”
Mehrabian noted that water, which is fundamental to human well-being, plays a key role in sustainable development and critical for socioeconomic development.
Water shortage can pose a serious challenge to sustainable development, but if the limited resource is managed efficiently and equitably, water can play a key role in strengthening the resilience of social, economic and environmental systems.
Precious Commodity
The minister said the precious commodity is necessary for curbing the burden of diseases and improving productivity, adding that water shortage has been a major concern over the last 10 years all over the world.
“As a finite resource, water is irreplaceable. It is only renewable when it is well managed, treated and used efficiently,” he added.
Today, more than 1.7 billion people are living in river basins where depletion exceeds natural recharge, which trend will see two-thirds of the world’s population living in water-stressed countries by 2025.
The current water crisis has increased attention to the effective management of water resources. Water is crucial to the sustainable development of societies, which involves the economic, social and environmental sectors. This is while the expansion of economic and agricultural activities in recent decades has exacerbated water scarcity and increased conflicts and political tensions, which highlight the need for sustainable development and optimization of resource allocations.
Located in one of the world’s most water-stressed regions, Iran is among the top 20 countries with unsustainable water consumption.
Gripped by low rainfall, persistent drought and dwindling water resources, Iran is facing a severe shortage of water with its agriculture sector suffering due to outdated cultivation and irrigation methods that require unacceptably huge amounts of water.
Official data show that more than 90% of Iran's water resources are used in the agriculture sector with a mere 30% efficiency, which pales in comparison to the global average of 75%.
Water shortage, inflicted on many countries in the past few years, poses a major challenge to sustainable development. As a result, experts stress the need to focus on adopting pragmatic approaches for judicious water consumption.
Nearly 750 million people do not have access to clean drinking water globally, whereas 2.5 billion lack access to basic sanitation. Annually, water disasters cause $60 billion in economic losses while drought and desertification threaten the livelihoods of more than 1.2 billion people worldwide.
Unregulated Agriculture
Pointing to Iran's critical water situation, Mehrabian said, "In the past four decades, several factors, including high population growth and unregulated agriculture, have worsened the issue."
However, according to the minister, climate change and demographic situation are among the main reasons leading to the ongoing challenge.
Majlis Research Center, the influential research arm of the Iranian Parliament, says in a new report that groundwater resources all over the country are shrinking at such an incredible speed that water tables cannot replenish themselves.
According to the report, Iran is on red alert as overextraction of groundwater resources over the last four decades is taking a heavy toll not only on the farming sector but also on industries, the Energy Ministry's website Paven reported.
Groundwater use peaked in the 1990s and surprisingly, the uptrend has continued unabated, the report said.
Annual renewable water resources average 105 bcm, of which close to 70 bcm are exploitable.
Annual water deficit from ground resources in Iran is 143 billion cubic meters that is more than the volume of renewable water resources.
According to the Energy Ministry data, renewable resources amounted to 140 bcm in 1999, which started declining rapidly ever since. It fell to 135 bcm, 130 bcm and 110 bcm in 2007, 2013 and 2017 respectively.
