Kermanshah Province is known as the ‘land of stone and water’ in tourism brochures and is a region replete with natural beauty, rivers and springs. However, even during the cold and rainy days of autumn, more than 83 villages around Kermanshah city don’t have access to water supply. They are now hoping to be connected to the water supply network in the coming year’s budget bill (starting March 21, 2015).
The fact of the matter is that the natural ground water reserves are different from water resources available in underground aquifers and water channeled into the city’s drinking water supply network. At present, “mobile water” is supplied to the 83 villages in the province.
A group of the village residents recently visited the Mehr News Agency office in Kermanshah Province to air their grievances about the water problems.
The lack of piped water to the villages has resulted in several problems including health, for the residents. Also, water supply to the provincial villages is irregular and at long intervals; some of the villagers acquire water themselves from other places. All this is causing great hardship.
“Since many years we have been promised that piped water would come to the villages, but the promises remain only on paper,” said one of the residents.
Funding Needed
Kermanshah Governor Fazlollah Ranjbar, also confirmed long intervals between water supply for the villages and said, “This is partly due to lack of funding for mobile water supply, which was addressed in part during several meetings with authorities. But still we don’t have adequate budget for a permanent water supply network.”
To provide piped water, “we need $ 6 million; unfortunately less than 50% of the funds have been provided,” Ranjbar said. “If allocation of the entire amount is delayed, we might require additional funding for the completion of the water supply network as costs will increase.”
So far only $ 2.6 million has been received and “we should wait to see what would be the rural water supply share in the next year’s budget bill.”
Priority
“Water supply to the 83 villages and also other rural areas is among important issues discussed in the Majlis (parliament). The government has been urged to consider these issues on priority in the next fiscal policy,” said Seyyed Saeed Heidari Tayyeb, Majlis representative from Kermanshah in the ‘Khaneye Mellat’ or Islamic Consultative Assembly, ICANA reported.
At present, the lawmakers are discussing recommendations to be proposed to the government “for consideration in the future budget bill,” he added.
