Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 11
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Water and electricity bills in Iran will be increased in the next solar year which will begin on March 21, 2014, the Mehr News Agency quoted Iranian Deputy Energy Minister Alireza Daemi as saying.
The energy ministry has proposed changes to the administration for increasing water and electricity bills in the next year, he said.
According to the current year's budget law, the administration is allowed to increase water and electricity bills by a maximum of 38 per cent, he explained.
In September, the Mehr News Agency quoted Iran's Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian as saying that Iran's Energy Ministry has increased subscribers electricity bills from 430 rials (about 0.02 cents) per kilowatt hours to 433 rials.
The ministry added the sum to electricity bills in order to secure a fund for implementing power supply projects in villages and expand the use of renewable energy, the minister added.
On Oct. 12, the Mehr news agency quoted Deputy Energy Minister Sattar Mahmoudi as saying that 84 per cent of Iran's total area is either dry or semi-dry, while only 16 per cent of the country is humid and semi-humid.
Iran continues to have struggles with droughts and a dry climate. In recent years, the country experienced several droughts, especially in the south where it is hit by violent sand storms that engulf several cities.