The level of rainfall in the Iranian water year ending September 22, 2015 saw a 10% decline compared to the same period of the previous year, reaching a nationwide average of 197 millimeters from 219 mm, head of the Base Studies Department at the Iran Water Resources Management Company said.
“Precipitation in the previous (water) year declined by 18% compared to average rainfalls over the past 46 years,” Reza Raei was quoted by ISNA as saying on Thursday.
In total, the amount of precipitation in 14 provinces rose year-on-year, but it fell in 22 provinces compared to the average rainfalls in the past five decades.
Average rainfall is around 750 millimeters in the world, while Iran’s average precipitation fell to 205 mm in the past 15 years, down from 250 mm before a long and hard drought cast a shadow over the country.
On Thursday, Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian reiterated the warning that water can be rationed in some cities and towns due to overconsumption and scarce water resources.
“We are running out of potable water resources … Without judicious consumption, water may be rationed in some cities,” he said, adding that consumption can be curbed by 25-30% in households by implementing basic measures.
Chitchian described water treatment as an extremely costly procedure and said one cubic meter of drinking water is worth 10 times the same volume of non-potable water.
The government is studying plans to gradually liberalize water prices to balance revenues and costs.
Analysts say roughly 90% of the national water resources are wasted in the traditional agriculture sector, at a time when rainfall has reached its lowest levels in recent history.
A 2013 study by the World Resources Institute ranked Iran as the world’s 24th most water-stressed nation, putting it at an extremely high risk of facing water scarcity.
