The total amount of water stored in the six large dams of Isfahan Province has reached 428 million cubic meters, director of operation and maintenance of water facilities at Isfahan Regional Water Company said.
“The current volume of water in the dams shows a 56% decrease compared to the long-term [50-year] average,” Ehsanollah Amini was also quoted as saying by ILNA.
Elaborating about each dam, the official said Zayandehroud Dam has a capacity of 1.250 billion cubic meters but now only holds 353 million cubic meters.
“The water storage in Zayandehroud Dam has decreased by 6% compared to last year. This is while, compared to the long-term average, it has declined by 61%,” he said.
“Golpayegan Dam currently has 26.8 million cubic meters of water. This volume shows an increase of 12% compared with the same period of last year and a decrease of 11% compared to the long-term average.”
Referring to one of the dams in Semirom County, Amini said the reserve of Qara Qach Dam has reached 21.9 mcm.
“Hana, another dam in Semirom, has also less water than last year. The volume of water in the dam has reached 10 mcm while the figure was 16.9 mcm last year. The current amount indicates a reduction of 41% compared to last year and also a 50% decline compared to the long-term average,” he said.
“Khamiran Dam in Tiran and Karvan County has about 6.8 mcm of water, which is the same as last year. The volume of water in Baghkol Dam has also decreased by 14% compared to a year ago. The dam now has 2.3 mcm of water, down from 3.6 mcm last year.”
Serious Water Issues
Isfahan Province has been suffering from drought for several years. It is facing new problems this year due to the decline in precipitation that has further reduced surface water and groundwater.
The severe decline in rainfall in the central region in the past two years has caused renewed concerns among the residents while irreparable damage has been inflicted on the farming sector.
In the not-too-distant past Zayandehroud River had regular and significant water flow, but is almost dry for more than eight months to the detriment of farmers who are largely dependent on the river for their livelihood.
Once the pride of the region, Zayandehroud River originates in the mountains of Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Province and flows eastward toward Isfahan before ending up in the famous Gavkhouni Wetland.
As Zayandehroud has dried up, only 4% of the surface of Gavkhouni Wetland are covered by water. The wetland stretches over 47,000 hectares and its water rights include 176 million cubic meters of water from Zayandehroud annually. For all practical purposes, this right has been violated.
Gavkhouni, which is home to a variety of species of migratory birds, has been struggling with declining water levels over the past decade. Once a popular destination for migratory birds, typically at the beginning of winter, recent surveys show the numbers coming to the wetland have declined significantly.
The number of migratory birds in the wetland has decreased below 2,000 and the continuation of such conditions will threaten the survival of more birds.
In addition, the drying up of the wetland has worsened dust storms that thrash Isfahan and seven other provinces.
Disorganized urbanization, old and obsolete farming practices and the presence of water-intensive industries such as Mobarakeh Steel Company are adding pressure on the region’s rapidly dwindling water reserves.
Groundwater resources in the parched province are shrinking by a massive 3.6 billion cubic meters per annum. Of the total annual extraction, 3.3 bcm are used by 41,000 authorized wells and the rest from 21,000 illegal wells.
Over 7,000 unauthorized wells have been sealed since 2005, which helped save 215 million cubic meters of water a year in the dry central region. The drop in groundwater levels is estimated at an average of one to 1.5 meters a year.
Excessive groundwater overdraft has resulted in a slow but steady land subsidence in the region. The subsidence rate in the different plains is estimated to be between 15 cm and 18 cm.
