Head of Iran's Environmental Protection Organization: Water "bankruptcy" has endangered the country's "civilization"

The head of the Environmental Protection Agency called the water crisis "the country's biggest problem" and said that Iran's water and soil capital is being wasted.

He said that Iran has suffered from "water bankruptcy," to the point that there is even a water shortage in "Gilan and Mazandaran," and that if this situation continues, "the country's civilization will be threatened."

According to ISNA news agency, Issa Kalantari, in a press conference on Monday, June 7, stated that “the per capita renewable water in Iran is less than a thousand cubic meters per person,” and emphasized: “We have oppressed water.” Now, “70 percent of the country’s population has less than 700 cubic meters of renewable water. Therefore, we are in the stage of water bankruptcy.”

"Not only will we lose our water resources, but we will also face salinization and soil erosion," he said.

The Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced the rate of soil erosion in the country as "two billion tons annually," while, according to him, "60 percent of this erosion is preventable."

Emphasizing that "tens of thousands of hectares" of fertile land become barren every year due to salinization, Kalantari said that "the environment is not just for the cheetah, the water, soil, and air must also be considered."

According to him, "In 1988, we had about 132 billion cubic meters of renewable water, but this figure has dropped to less than 90 billion cubic meters in the last few years."

The head of the Environmental Organization said: "In some wetlands, such as Gavkhoni, there is no possibility of water supply due to unsustainable development and the lack of a land use plan."

Mr. Kalantari, who previously served as Iran's Minister of Agriculture for more than twelve years, criticized the country's macro policies, including "self-sufficiency," emphasizing that 95 percent production in self-sufficiency means using twice the existing capacity of water resources. "If we don't fight for the environment in these circumstances, it will be destroyed."

Emphasizing that "natural water has become very scarce and we must supply water to wildlife by tanker," Kalantari said, "The reality of water in the country is more deplorable than what water officials say."

Nik Ahang Kausar, a water journalist, previously told VOA: “The depletion of water resources due to unreasonable consumption in the agricultural sector – that is, excessive consumption due to self-sufficiency and agricultural policies – has led to the current bankrupt situation.”

Hours after the head of the Environmental Organization's Monday remarks, Kaveh Madani, former deputy director of the Environmental Organization, released a video of his 2017 interview about the water crisis in Iran, writing: "A national issue that was lost in political disputes and warnings that were ignored in security adventures."

Source: Voice of America