Colossal Agricultural Water Consumption Sparking Alarm

Agriculture is by far the largest consumer of the limited water resources in Iran and the Energy Ministry’s data indicate that water consumption in Iran’s agro sector is at least 20% higher than the global average, causing serious concern among water officials.
According to a survey conducted by the Persian economic daily Donya-e-Eqtesad, close to 90% of water withdrawals from dams and groundwater are for agricultural usage, 46 times and 15 times more than the amount of water used in industries and household sectors respectively, the Energy Ministry’s news portal reported.
The average global water use efficiency in farming industry in the world is 70%, whereas the figure in Iran is 90% due to unsustainable and wasteful farming practices that are the norm for decades.