Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.23
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
Iran may draw $2 billion from the National Development Fund to be used to supply drinking water to rural areas.
Iranian MP Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh said a bill has been prepared and will be submitted to the parliament to allow drawing $2 billion from the fund, Iran's ISNA news agency reported on August 23.
"The situation of water supply to villages is unfavorable due to economic mismanagement over the past years and recent droughts, as well," he added.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Aug. 12 that his administration has decided to allocate at least $2 billion every year to deal with water shortage crisis in the country.
For current fiscal year (started on March 21) the budget is allocated which will be spent on the issue, Rouhani said, Iran's IRINN State TV reported.
He went on to add that the administration will continue the policy in the next years to resolve the water crisis in the country.
Iran is located in an arid zone, Rouhani said, adding there is no hope for wet period in the next years and the country faces a serious water shortage crisis.
The drought of 1992-2002 caused a major blow to agriculture. There were quotas imposed for fresh water in several cities, including the capital Tehran.
Hamidreza Janbaz, an Advisor to Iranian energy minister, said that currently 517 cities are struggling with water shortage across the country.
"At present, a special program is being worked out to solve the water shortage problem in the next three years," he added.
"A drought has been observed in the country for nearly 13 years," Janbaz said.