Former Energy Ministry official: About 13 percent of Khuzestan's dams have water resources

A former Energy Ministry official said on Tuesday, October 26, that the volume of water resources in Khuzestan's dams is "low" and that if "fundamental action" is not taken, the province will once again face "water stress."

According to Mehr News Agency, Hedayat Fahmi, former deputy director of the country's Water Planning and Water Resources Office, said: "About 13 percent of the dams in Khuzestan province have water resources, and if there is no significant rainfall as predicted, Khuzestan will face a serious problem."

Mr. Fahmi criticized "temporary" methods of dealing with water shortages, such as supplying water by tanker, and emphasized that a long-term solution should be considered by "creating infrastructure and renovating" the drinking water distribution and transmission network, and the water and sewage system in Khuzestan.

This summer, Khuzestan faced widespread protests in various cities, following the worsening water shortage crisis, which continued for two weeks. These protests spread to other cities and provinces, and following the crackdown on the protesters, they continued with slogans against the Islamic Republic as a whole.

A week after widespread protests over the lack of water in Khuzestan, a member of the presidium of the Islamic Consultative Assembly said: "Where in the world would they build 25 steel companies in the desert of the country and then transport thousands of kilometers of water to develop it?"

Iranian authorities have promised to resolve the water shortage problem in Khuzestan, but so far no specific and comprehensive plan or program has been introduced in this regard.

Karim Hosseini, a representative from Ahvaz, stated in September this year that the Environmental Organization has "an oppressive, illogical, and unprofessional plan" called the "Vank Solgan" plan to issue a permit to transfer water from Khuzestan, emphasizing: "I am announcing to the President and also the Minister of Interior as the senior minister that as long as the issue of water transfer is raised in governments, the people of Khuzestan are dissatisfied and the first impeachment of the representatives of the Islamic Consultative Assembly should not be completed in the name of the Minister of Energy."

He said that the implementation of this government plan would lead to the impeachment of the Minister of Energy in the parliament.

Source: Voice of America