Top Eremologist Looks at Downside of Steel Sector

Iran wants to become the world’s sixth largest steelmaker by 2025 and development plans to this effect are underway across the country.
So far, so good. However, policy and decision makers seem to be oblivious of the fact that water-intensive steel plants like Chadormalu, Mobarakeh and Gol-e-Gohar are located in the most arid provinces namely Yazd, Isfahan and Kerman where annual precipitation does not exceed 60 millimeters.
According to Parviz Kardavani, a veteran eremologist and respected faculty member of Tehran University, such development projects can be a recipe for disaster as they wipe out limited water resources in the arid and desert regions.