Baku, Azerbaijan, April 14
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Tehran and 10 other big cities in Iranare facing a critical water shortage.
Rahim Meidani said on April 14 that some half of the country's population is facing a water shortage, Iran's Fars news agency reported.
Meidani, the Iranian deputy energy minister, said that in addition to Tehran, the cities of Arak, Isfahan, Shiraz, Qazvin, Qom,Karaj, Kerman, Mashhad, Hamedan, and Yazd are also facing a water crisis.
However, 10-20 per cent saving in water consumption would help us overcome the crisis, he noted.
On March 30, Ghatreh website quoted Khosro Erteqaei, the province's regional water company's managing director, as saying that the city of Tehran consumes about three million cubic meters of water per day.
The situation of water resources in Iran has passed beyond the critical point, Donya-ye Eqtesad daily quoted Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian as saying on Feb. 19.
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 condition.
During the past decade, precipitation has declined to 242 millimeters from 250 millimeters, he noted.
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 includingTehran.
Edited by C.N.