Tehran, Iran, June 30
By Milad Fashtami - Trend:
Iran's drinking water consumption rate is expected to reach 10 billion cubic meters in the Iranian calendar year of 1420 (to start on March 21, 2041).
The country's population is expected to reach 103 million people in the mentioned year, Iran's Mehr News Agency reported on June 30.
Iran will face difficulty in providing the mentioned amount of drinking water, unless it improves its infrastructure.
Iran's water consumption rate currently stands at 6 billion cubic meters.
The country is currently struggling with a severe water shortage.
As the water crisis continues in Iran, the country's energy ministry has started rationing water.
Arak, Esfahan, Bandar Abbas, Tehran, Shiraz, Qazvin, Qom, Karaj, Kerman, Mash'had, Hamedan, and Yazd are the major cities which are expected to face severe water shortage in summer, Iran's TASNIM News Agency reported on June 25.
Iran has already started water rationing in Karaj city.
Energy ministry officials say that by cutting consumption by 20-30 percent, the country will face no difficulty in distributing enough water across the country.
Iran's rationing water in Karaj comes as the country's President Hasan Rouhani previously ordered the energy ministry to avoid water rationing.
Hamidreza Janbaz, an Advisor to Iranian energy minister, said that currently 517 cities are struggling with water shortage across the country, Iran's Mehr News Agency reported on June 23.
Janbasz, however, said that the energy ministry will face no difficulty in providing enough water to the country.
"We plan to send water to 6,000 villages with tankers," he said.
Iranian energy minister Hamid Chitchian on April 27 warned about a water shortage crisis in the country.
"The energy ministry has formed a special committee a couple of months ago to monitor the water crisis and take appropriate decisions," he said, Iran's Mehr news agency reported on April 27.
On Feb. 19, Donya-ye Eqtesad daily quoted Chitchian as saying that the situation of water resources in Iran has passed beyond the critical condition.
At present, 96 billion cubic meters of the country's total 120 billion cubic meters of renewable water resources is being consumed annually, he said, adding that if 40-60 percent of renewable water resources is consumed in any country, that country is said to be in a critical water shortage.
During the past decade, precipitations have declined to 242 millimeters from 250 millimeters, he noted.
The water shortage has reached a critical level in Tabriz, Isfahan, Khuzestan, Qum, Mashhad and Hamadan provinces, advisor to Iran's Energy Minister, Hamidrza Janbaz said on Nov.17, MEHR agency reported.
Currently a special program is being worked out in order to solve the water shortage problem in the next three years, according to Janbaz.
"A drought has been observed in the country for nearly 13 years. The demand for water increases with population growth," Janbaz said.
Iran is located in an arid zone and the country has been repeatedly faced with drought in the past 40 years.
The drought of 1992-2002 caused a major blow to agriculture. There were quotas imposed for fresh water in several cities including Tehran.