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Iran loses 50% of its precipitation

Business Materials 27 December 2014 13:40 (UTC +04:00)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 27

By Umid Niayesh - Trend:

Iran's average annual precipitation stands at 430 billion cubic meters, about 50 percent of which can not be used and lost, Kheyrollah Azarkerdar, an official with the Islamic Republic's Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization said.

About 295 billion cubic meters of the yearly participation in Iran is wasted, Azarkerdar said, the country's ISNA news agency reported Dec. 27.

"We can only supply 35 billion cubic meters of the precipitation into underground aquifers each year, the official said, adding watershed operations are required to prevent runoff and injecting the water into the aquifers.

The Islamic Republic is located in an arid zone and the country faces a serious water shortage crisis. However, many experts believe that the current water shortage problem is a result of water resources mismanagement, rather than the drought.

Iran's total annual water consumption is approximately 93 billion cubic meters, out of which about 92 percent is used in agriculture (86 billion cubic meters), 6.6 percent in municipality (6.18 billion cubic meters), and 1.2 percent in industry (1.12 billion cubic meters), according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Up to 70 percent of water used in the agriculture sector is being wasted, Iranian officials say.

Follow the author on Twitter: @UmidNiayesh

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