Precipitation in the major river basins during the first 125 days of the current water year (started Sept. 23, 2018) has surpassed 125 millimeters -- three times over and above the corresponding period last water year.
Energy Ministry data show 41 millimeters of rainfall was registered in the first four months of the last water year and the volume increased by 84 millimeters this year, ILNA reported.
Iran is divided into six primary river basins. The Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman basin in the south and Hamoun Wetlands in the east (mainly in Sistan and Baluchestan Province) had the highest and lowest rainfall in the four months.
The other basins are the Caspian Sea in the north, Urmia Lake in northwest, Karakum in the northeast and the Central Plateau in Markazi Province.
Most provinces have reported above average rainfall since the beginning of the new water year. According to reports from the Iran Meteorological Organization, more rain is expected in the coming days.
However, despite the higher precipitation people and authorities are concerned about water shortages as many regions across the country are struggling with chronic water shortages that now resemble a crisis.
Iran has been battling drought for decades because of declining rainfall, rising temperatures, inefficient farming practices, excessive consumption in metropolises and poor water management.
According to a recent report by National Geographic, in recent years Sistan and Baluchestan has been bogged down in a relentless wave of environmental disasters. A prolonged drought has hastened the disappearance of the Hamoun Wetlands, while higher temperatures continue to evaporate what meager surface water remains. The wetlands once were a bountiful source of water for irrigation.
But now the dust storm season is expanding, sometimes spanning half a year - and as a consequence, it has caused respiratory problems for the people of the region.
In 2016 the World Health Organization ranked Zabol, the provincial center, as the most polluted city on the planet. With agriculture disappearing at terrible speed and everyday life a struggle, locals and officials say the region risks becoming uninhabitable.
Residents are migrating in big numbers. Up to a fifth of the province’s 2.5 million people is, or soon will be, on the move, according to a lawmaker from the region.
Iran too is buckling under the risk of climate change and poor water management and experts regularly warn it is highly likely that the water crisis will get worse.
