Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.17
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
The Iranian administration has allocated about $10 million for supplying water to Tehran urgently, Iranian government spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobakht said, IRNA news agency reported on September 17.
Arak, Esfahan, Bandar Abbas, Tehran, Shiraz, Qazvin, Qom, Karaj, Kerman, Mash'had, Hamedan, and Yazd are the major cities which are expected to face severe water shortage.
Iranian first Vice president Es'haq Jahangiri has previously warned that the water shortage problem will continue during fall, and urged the citizens to consume water efficiently.
Iran has already started water rationing in Karaj city, Iran's TASNIM News Agency reported on June 25.
Energy ministry officials say that by cutting consumption by 20-30 percent, the country will face no difficulty in distributing enough water across the country.
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 had said.
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 and the drought of 1992-2002 caused a major blow to agriculture in Iran. There were quotas imposed for fresh water in several cities, including the capital Tehran.
Hamidreza Janbaz, an Advisor to Iranian energy minister had said that currently 517 cities are struggling with water shortage across the country.
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