Of the 7.5 billion cubic meters of water consumed in the country, 4.3 billon of wastewater is produced annually which, if treated, can make up for the rising deficit in the water resources, the energy minister said.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Ahvaz East Wastewater Treatment Plant on Wednesday, Reza Ardakanian said the expansion of sewage treatment plants can help protect public health and the environment, IRNA reported.
“On a yearly basis, 520 million cubic meters of wastewater is produced in southwestern Khuzestan Province, only a tenth of which is recycled,” he said.
Completed at a cost of $7.2 million by the Energy Ministry, Ahvaz East Wastewater Treatment Plant has a daily capacity of 112,000 cubic meters.
It collects wastewater on the eastern flank of the important oil city, preventing it from entering the Karun River. The recycled water is used for farming and industrial needs.
Ahvaz is divided into eastern and western parts via the famous Karoun River that not only supplies the city with drinking water but also provides water for agriculture and industries in the area.
With the new plant now operational, 7,000 hectares of farmland in Ahvaz will be revived. It will also create 35,000 agro jobs.
“While the country grapples with a worsening water crisis, less than 25% of the wastewater is recycled,” the minister rued.
He said the government is striving to come up with schemes to help curb water wastage and address water shortages that is causing serious concern about the viability of food production and the future of the oft mentioned food self-reliance policy.
Given years of dwindling rainfall and rising consumption, authorities and independent experts have called for more attention towards collecting, treating and recycling water.
Inefficient Agro Sector
Iran’s agriculture sector alone consumes more than 90% of the scarce water resources due to outdated farming practices and equipment – a number possibly unheard of across continents and, for all practical purposes, unsustainable.
If wastewater is not properly treated it can have dire consequences on the environment and human health. Other than contaminating drinking water, it can cause harm to marine and wildlife habitats, oxygen depletion and restrictions on recreational water use as well as on fish harvesting.
With the new facility in Ahvaz, 195 wastewater treatment plants are currently operational in Iran with total sewage treatment capacity at 10.36 mcm/d.
Currently, over 62,755 km of wastewater pipelines have been laid in the country and almost 295 cities are connected to the sewage system.
Water supply has been a constant preoccupation since the beginning of the country’s history, thousands of years ago. Its inhabitants learnt to design and implement efficient techniques for harnessing their limited water resources and for irrigation. Apart from the qanat, which was a major source of irrigation and domestic water supply for centuries, Iranians have in the past built dams of various types and weirs. Some of these head control structures, built as long as 1,000 years ago, are still in good condition.
