A wide acknowledgement of Iran's persistent drought is essential to prompting both authorities and the public to more seriously consider techniques to adapt to the arid condition, a senior official at the Department of Environment said.
According to Shina Ansari, director of monitoring office at DOE, the majority of scientific studies have confirmed that the effects of climate change have been greater in the Middle East than the global average.
"This means that more dry days are ahead of us and consequently, more frequent and widespread dust storms are expected," she said, Zist Online reported.
She regretted that despite visible indications of climate change, including the continuous drop in precipitation, no notable change has been made in water consumption in agriculture, industry and household sectors.
Although adaptation techniques have been frequently discussed and even included in five-year development plans, their implementation has been too slow in proportion with the severity of the issue.
"This negligence has led to the growth of domestic sources of dust storm," she said.
"A deep understanding of the fact that Iran is located in a region suffering long-term and sustainable drought is the primary prerequisite to build a collective will to prepare for the future," she stressed.
Time to Readjust
Revision in the current farming policies is among the key measures, according to Ansari.
"Cultivation of water-intensive crops such as rice and beet should be controlled because in the new climatic conditions their farming will only result in the loss of resources and expansion of dust storm hotspots," she explained.
Restrictions on water-intensive industries, development of water recycling facilities and planting indigenous and eco-friendly plants in urban green spaces are among other methods she pointed out.
Besides, since dust storms do not seem to be going away anytime soon, both urban facilities and the public need to be prepared to get to grips with the phenomenon.
"Training local communities in self-care, installing early prediction and monitoring systems and improving health care facilities and electricity distribution networks are essential in affected regions," she said.
Studies show that despite the favorable springtime rainfall, water resources across the country are in a more sorry state compared to previous years.
It has been predicted that 334 Iranian cities home to a total population of around 35 million will experience water tensions in the upcoming summer.
Public Distrust
Speaking recently at a conference in Tabriz, Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian also regretted the lack of public trust in warnings about the worsening water crisis.
"The undesirable state of water resources is a major threat to the country, but people refuse to believe it or take it seriously due to their distrust," he said.
The official pointed to water and energy literacy as an essential tool to improve public participation in adaptation schemes. "Water and energy literacy is a set of information that helps people understand the role of the resources in their lives and learn to act properly to adapt to their shortage," he explained.
Ardakanian also insisted on using the term "adaptation" with drought instead of "combating" the phenomenon.
"The term combating brings to mind a temporary condition while adaptation suggests the need for permanent approaches," he said.
"Our people should be aware that water scarcity is tied to our climate so we should revise and plan our lifestyle and development projects accordingly."
He noted that even in case of normal precipitation, the crisis in the country will persist so long as three billion cubic meters of wastewater are released untreated, 25% of fresh water is wasted in the distribution network and water-intensive crops are cultivated in dry regions.
