Surveys conducted by foreign research centers in collaboration with domestic firms have shown that diverting water from the Caspian Sea in the north to Lake Urmia, Iran's largest salt lake in West Azarbaijan Province, cannot help revive the troubled inland water body, operations manager at Iran Water Resources Management Company said.
“A scheme to transfer 1 billion cubic meters of water was proposed to help the troubled lake replenish in 2011 as its sources of renewable water had decreased drastically at the time,” Ghazaal Jafari was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Studies by prominent international organizations, namely the US Irrigation Association and Akvaplan-niva, a daughter company of the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), indicated that inter-basin initiatives will never yield desired results because of differences in the geochemical, ecological and biological qualities of the two water bodies, she added.
The lengthy research project entailed the comprehensive study of hydrological, geochemical and biological features of the sea and the lake based on data collected over the last two decades.
Despite the fact that inter-basin transfer of water to far-flung locations has long been seriously challenged in most countries, some policymakers in Iran are insisting on implementing the costly project whose success is not assured.
"The case of Caspian Sea was rejected as studies showed that the sulfated quality of Caspian waters would reduce the lifespan of Urmia to 50 years and cause biological issues,” Jafari said.
In 2011, when the lake’s water declined by 160 centimeters, the Agriculture Ministry decided to transfer 1 bcm of water from Caspian Sea.
This being a key concern, the ministry was ordered to study the case with the help of countries and organizations that had similar experiences.
Irreparable Loss
Systematic studies showed that inter-basin transfer was a wrong policy and would result in irreparable environmental loss, because of which no such projects were undertaken (in the US) over the last 20 years, the official said.
Despite concerns about the lake, the plan to divert water is not approved, as viable options exist for restoring the lake, one of which is cutting farmers’ water rights around the lake by 40%.
Studies on farmlands around the lake have revealed that 80% of water released from dams in West Azarbaijan Province, namely Boukan Dam, are used to grow water-intensive crops like alfalfa, wheat, beetroots and apples before it reaches Lake Urmia.
Moreover, the transfer of reclaimed wastewater to the lake is another practical solution without environmental costs.
Iran Water Resources Management Company is opposed to the inter-basin transfer of water and completely opposed to any project that seeks to divert water from the Caspian Sea, as the disadvantages of such projects outweigh benefits.
Inter-basin transfer or trans-basin diversion refers to manmade conveyance schemes that move water from one river basin to another where water is in deficit, usually for development purposes.
Water officials, including former deputy for water and wastewater affairs at the Energy Ministry, Qasem Taqizadeh Khamesi, say diverting water from the Oman Sea or the Caspian to alleviate the water crisis in far-flung regions such as Sistan-Baluchestan and Semnan provinces are long-term and bound to lead to environmental disasters like exacerbating soil erosion and throwing marine ecosystems out of balance.
Instead, treating and recycling wastewater, collecting and reusing groundwater and modernizing farming practices should have higher priority, he added
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Drought-Hit Regions
In addition to international institutions, domestic experts and academicians like the late Parviz Kardoavani, a veteran eremologist, believe that diverting water from the sea, whether from the Persian Gulf in the south or the Caspian Sea in the north, to arid and drought-hit regions, is simply not a viable alternative.
The massive costs notwithstanding, implementing such plans are long-term bets (at the least 10 years away), while people living in the vicinity of such water bodies are now in dire need of water.
More importantly, if and when the projects are completed, it would mean the availability of water would probably encourage the establishment of water-intensive industries like steel factories in their proximity.
Independent economic experts and academia have strongly opposed the construction of steel factories in regions with huge water problems, which make a bad situation worse.
The US Irrigation Association is dedicated to promoting efficient irrigation technologies, products and services.
Akvaplan-niva offers a range of practical solutions like vulnerability and risk assessments, as well as environmental monitoring programs.
