As the water shortages worsen, 272 illegal water wells were sealed in the past three months in Tehran Province, the deputy for operations at the Tehran Regional Water Company said.
“Due to the rapid decline in groundwater levels, it is essential to stop violations in using water resources in the capital,” ILNA quoted Ahmad Ali Qorbanian as saying.
Hundreds of illegal wells used by farmers for agriculture have been identified and closed. Restrictions on the use of surface and groundwater resources have also been imposed by the government to help preserve the precious but rapidly dwindling resource.
“Sealing 272 wells in Tehran will prevent extraction of over 2.8 million cubic meters of water,” the official added.
"Last year, 1337 illegal wells were closed. This year, 1,400 more unauthorized wells will be blocked”.
In the first three months of the current year (started March 20), 40 smart meters were installed on authorized wells, which help efficient managing of water and electricity consumption by farmers, Qorbanian said.
Wells in and around Tehran are in bad condition with water levels falling regularly, and experts have warned that the situation will not improve with good rainfall in one or even two years.
Unsustainable and unacceptably high consumption are taking a high toll and threatening water supplies in the capital that is home to more than ten million people. The situation in other parts of the country is possibly much worse.
The steep decline in groundwater levels is having devastating consequences. Excessive pumping is harming groundwater tables and stopping wells from reaching the groundwater. When groundwater is overused, lakes, streams and rivers connected to groundwater also start diminishing and vanish as time passes.
Groundwater overdraft can also lead to land subsidence as it occurs when there is loss of support below the ground.
Destruction of vegetation, increasing possibility of dust storms, holes in the plains and higher salt content in groundwater are other grave consequences of overconsumption and waste.
Iran’s agriculture sector guzzles over 65% of the water due largely to old, inefficient and unsustainable farming practices.
Experts say farmers must adopt modern irrigation methods and avoid growing water-intensive crops in regions saddled with perpetual water shortages.
There are about 470,000 legal and 320,000 illegal wells in Iran and every year 13,000 to 14,000 illegal wells are sealed.
Transforming traditional wells into smart wells has been on the Energy Ministry agenda and so far 10% of the wells have undergone the crucial transformation.
‘Smart’ or ‘intelligent’ wells are advanced wells with sensors and valves installed downhole to allow easy and constant monitoring by utilities.
