Water scarcity crisis in Iran; water transportation, unprincipled agriculture, and water-intensive industries have dried up the ancient land

Kourosh Aladin – By searching for the phrase “water shortage crisis” on social media or news agencies, one can find hundreds of news stories about water shortages and crises in different parts of Iran; from the rainy provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran to the dry and desert areas of Sistan and Baluchestan. Officials usually attribute the root of this crisis to the amount of rainfall and drought. However, at the same time, over the years, news of floods due to heavy rainfall has also been published many times.

Although Iran is located in the semi-arid region of the world, our ancestors, with proper management, were not only able to manage their daily lives for thousands of years, but sometimes they built complexes in the heart of the desert, such as the "Shazdeh Mahan Garden"; a lush garden with natural fountains.

Iranians were even pioneers in groundwater management, and with the invention of the aqueduct, they were able to develop even in the heart of the desert, as the Greek "Polybius" said in the second century BC, describing an aqueduct in the desert: "The Iranians mysteriously bring water to the surface of the earth."

But how did the Zayandeh River, this artery of "half the world," dry up over the years?

• Water transfer and agriculture

In the 1970s, during the presidency of Mohammad Khatami, the Zayandeh Rud water transfer project to Yazd province was implemented. In 1379, Zayandeh Rud experienced a drought for the first time in its life. Then, the water transfer project was expanded to other cities such as Kashan; a project that is still being expanded by digging new tunnels. But the work did not end there. The expansion of non-expert agriculture, encouraged by the government, led to the digging of various and numerous wells.

The late Parviz Kordvani, a prominent Iranian desert expert, believed that "digging wells instead of qanats will cause a sharp decrease in groundwater levels, land subsidence, and water salinity." But instead of benefiting from the past, the insistence on digging wells - both authorized and sometimes unauthorized - continued.

In addition to these mistakes, the cultivation of inappropriate agricultural products also contributed to the problem. For example, in Falavarjan, rice was cultivated with an average rainfall of less than 240 mm. This is despite the fact that according to the Agricultural Jihad decree, provinces with rainfall of less than 800 mm are not allowed to cultivate rice.

• Water-bearing industries

In addition to non-traditional agriculture, the location and expansion of factories and industrial estates, and consequently residential estates, was another reason for the water crisis.

For example, Mahmoud Hosseini, who was the governor of Isfahan from 2002 to 2005, told the Hamshahri newspaper: "68 percent of the country's steel, which is a water-intensive and polluting industry, is produced in Isfahan. In recent years, the iron and steel industry, and the refinery have implemented their development phases extensively, and their development requires more water consumption."

The lack of expert insight led to drinking water being used for agriculture and industry, leading to the destruction of the environment and nature.

• The death of Zayandeh Rood, the death of the center of Iran

The drying up of the Zayandeh Rood has not only caused protests from the city people and unemployment among farmers, but also caused irreparable environmental damage. Finally, the journey of the Zayandeh Rood, the jewel of the desert, is the "cowboy swamp", which is now drying up.

In addition to the catastrophic effects on the ecosystem, the drying up of this swamp will create dust that will even make areas such as Tehran, Fars, and Lorestan uninhabitable.

But this unprofessional behavior is not unique to Zayandeh Rood, but the same patterns can also be observed in Khuzestan, Gilan, and other parts of Iran.

• Short term solution!

The water crisis in the Iranian plateau, which government officials say will lead to the forced displacement of millions, has affected the lives of Iranians, including farmers in Isfahan province, for years. But not only has there been no effective long-term solution to reverse the trend, but short-term solutions are also neither scientific nor feasible.

Hamshahri Online wrote on October 5 that Hossein Mirzaei, a representative from Isfahan, said in the parliament: "It seems that the short-term solution to the Zayandeh Rood water problem is to appeal to the infallible and pray for rain."

Source: Voice of America