The first development phase of Bandar Abbas water desalination unit in Hormozgan Province will be completed in July, the governor general of the province said.
"The unit will have the capacity to produce 20,000 cubic meters of water per day in the first phase, which will reach 100,000 cubic meters as more phases come on stream," Fereydoun Hemmati was also quoted as saying by ILNA.
According to the official, 20 desalination units with a capacity to process 11 million cubic meters of saline water per annum have been constructed in the province since 2014.
Fifteen more units are under construction, the capacity of which will amount to 8.5 million cubic meters in a year.
"Close to 50% of the venture are funded by Hormozgan Governorate's financial resources and the rest will be financed by the National Development Fund of Iran," he said, adding that southern water-stressed areas are in dire need of such units and more budget should have been allocated to them.
Hemmati noted that the construction cost of the unit with a total capacity of 100,000 cubic meters stands at $250 million.
"Although the private sector is willing to invest in these initiatives, raising social awareness and spreading the culture of judicious consumption can also play a key role in addressing water shortage," he said.
The official noted that to tackle the water crisis across continents, desalination is becoming an attractive method to produce water from saline water sources. Around coastal regions where salty water resources are plentiful, large and semi-large desalination plants are desirable.
Water experts, including Hamidreza Janbaz, chief executive officer of the Iranian company, believe that Iran's fledgling water desalination industry can satisfy people's need for safe drinking water in the Persian Gulf littoral provinces. As a result, tapping into seawater to supply potable water is high on the Energy Ministry's agenda as it is a much more sensible approach to sustain a steady supply of water rather than deplete the already dwindling underground water resources, most of which are on the verge of drying up.
"As per the Sixth Five-Year Development Plan (2017-22), 30% of potable water in northern and southern coastal towns should be provided with the help of desalination units," he said.
However, environmentalists do not advocate the use of desalinated water, arguing that the environmental and financial cost of treating saltwater outweigh its benefits in the long run.
According to the Energy Ministry's data, more than 90% of Bushehr Province’s water are supplied from neighboring provinces, but dwindling water resources in those regions mean they cannot sustain a steady supply of water to Bushehr.
Pointing to growing global demand for desalination units, Ali Asghar Qaneh, the deputy head of National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company, said between 2010 and 2016, total investment in this field has witnessed a 9% rise and reached $88 billion.
"The substantial rise in demand indicates two facts: the first of which is the major role that sea can play in providing coast dwellers with freshwater. The massive investment also highlights the fact that the quality of underground water is deteriorating," he said.
Asked about serious challenges facing the expansion of such units, Qaneh said large-scale investment, exorbitant maintenance cost and the lack of cutting-edge know-how are among the biggest constraints impeding the development of these facilities.
