Azerbaijan, Baku, April 6 /Trend S.Isayev, T. Jafarov/
The water shortage situation in Iran is reaching alarming level, member of Iran's Chamber of Commerce, Mohammad Hossein Shariatmadari said, Mehr reported.
He noted that it is "one of the biggest challenges" of the country, as every day the reduction of flowing waters in Iran continues.
On April 4, Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the government has plans to protect country's water resources.
Addressing reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony to put into operation Ardak reservoir dam, President Ahmadinejad said that protection of environment and water resources are the priorities of the government.
Ahmadinejad noted that high consumption of water in the holy cities due to presence of millions of pilgrims and said that's why special attention should be made to water shortage in those cities.
Water shortage has always been a pressing problem in Iran due to its arid and semi-arid climate, and droughts.
As international sanctions clamp down on the country, this issue has gained increased importance.
In 2011 Iran started constructing 134 dams with more than 13 billion cubic meters of reservoir's flood control capacity per year.