Analysis by PMOI/MEK
Iran, July 4, 2018 – Economy experts are describing the severe water shortage crisis in Iran as one of this country’s super challenges, highlighting the scope and importance of this subject.
Among 116 countries Iran is ranked 14th in the water crisis.
Kerman Province in the south-central region of Iran is known for its pistachio farms, especially in the cities of Kerman, Rafsanjan, and Sirjan. Pistachio production has dropped by more than 50 percent while this province used to provide more than 80 percent of Iran’s pistachios. Estimates indicate pistachio farming in Kerman Province will fall to zero in the next decade.
The regime’s own Mehr news agency reports less than 40 percent of Iran’s 66 large dams to have water these days. Furthermore, more than 80 percent of the country’s wetlands have dried, now becoming fountains of enormous dust storms across the country.
Anzali wetland in the country’s north
The wetlands of Anzali, known as a very diverse ecosystem all in itself, is on the verge of complete destruction. The water level has dropped from 14 meters to a mere 60 centimeters.
In the next 25 years, Iran’s eastern and southern regions will be completely empty of any residents and regime officials are saying 50 million people will have to migrate.
Iran’s water consumption reaches 97 billion cubic meters, while renewable waters add up to only 88 billion cubic meters.
“The total of Iran’s fossil waters are around 500 billion cubic meters, of which 300 billion cubic meters are salt water and the remaining is considered fresh water. 170 to 180 billion cubic meters of this remaining freshwater reserves have been used and we can say Iran’s underground water reserves are coming to an end,” according to the Hamshahri Online website.
The number of wells in Iran have increased by at least 16-fold, while the country’s population has only doubled. The unbridled use of underground water reserves is resulting in many cases of major ground subsidence.
The main reason behind this water crisis is truly the corrupt and destructive policies adopted by the mullahs’ regime, continuing the Iran-Iraq War and placing the country under sanctions due to a completely unnecessary nuclear program, have all forced the regime to produce food products inside the country at all costs.
This led to numerous well diggings across the country without the necessary scientific research, resulting in a mass plundering of the country’s underground water resources.
Knowing its nuclear ambitions would render major international sanctions, the Iranian regime permitted the digging of hundreds of thousands of water wells and the construction of a large number of dams, further adding to the water crisis. All the while there is literally no investment in improving the country’s farming technology.
More than 70 of Iran’s renewable waters are used for agricultural purposes, of which 80 percent is wasted.
This adds up to 55 billion cubic meters a year.
Iran’s heavy industries, including steel, petrochemical and military industries are another factor that is depleting Iran of its waters.
One solution lies in investing in Iran’s farming industry and transforming this highly potential sphere into mechanized farming to provide produce suitable to Iran’s land and climate.
However, the mullahs’ regime is busy wasting billions of dollars in pursuit of nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, fueling wars in Syria and Yemen, and meddling in Iraq, Lebanon and …
Countries lacking the water resources Iran enjoys have launched large water purification facilities. Such complexes are completely absent in Iran ruled by the mullahs’ regime.
Iran is also plagued by corrupt officials heavily involved in plundering the country’s water resources to sell abroad and pocket the hefty profits themselves.
One can understand why the people of Iran’s southern regions are suffering from severe water shortages and risking their lives by resorting to anti-government protests.
