Report from Deputy Energy Minister on Iran’s Catastrophic Water Situation

The deputy energy minister criticized mismanagement of water in Iran. According to him, approximately 76 percent of the country’s water resources have been consumed, and compensating for this shortage is not easily possible.

Rahim Midani, Deputy Minister of Energy, stated in his speech: “In Iran, water and the environment have suffered serious damage.”

Speaking on Saturday (December 4) at the “International Water Conference” at Tehran University, he first reminded that “our country is a water-scarce nation” and then added: “We face problems beyond nature that we ourselves have created.”

The Deputy Energy Minister warned: “The main problem is that we have used our surface and groundwater resources beyond ecological capacity.”

In elaborating on this shortcoming, he explained: “If we consider using up to 60 percent of water resources as the maximum level of water resource utilization for any country, we have used around 76 percent of our water resources, which is a catastrophe.”

This official deemed a 40 percent utilization rate of water resources as the ideal situation, but acknowledged that reaching this threshold is impossible with current capabilities. He stated: “We have set a target of reaching around 69 percent.”

Water Resource Pollution

Beyond declining water reserves, the Deputy Energy Minister identified pollution of water sources as another water scarcity problem. He said this situation has arisen “due to the discharge of industrial and domestic wastewater.”

Referencing the example of the Karun River, he emphasized: “A river that was once the most important source of drinking water supply for people today cannot provide drinking water.”