This is a picture of a beautiful flower.
Mohammad Mohabi

First – Stating the Problem

Iran is located in the semi-arid belt close to the ground. The majority of Iran’s soil is desert. The scarcity of water in Iran has led to the creativity of Iranians in managing water. The oldest qanats in the world have been discovered in the Iranian civilization. Even the German thinker, Wilfred Vogel, considers Iranian civilization as a “water-based civilization” and even sees the philosophy of the formation of the great Achaemenid Empire as a great water distribution system for the vast and water-scarce land of Iran; although Vogel’s analysis is far from the historical realities of Iran, the role of water cannot be ignored in the history of Iran’s transformations. Professor N.K.S. Lampton, in a study on the Marv Dam, obtains interesting results. The Marv Dam had about 400 guards and nearly 5,000 workers, which shows that the distribution and management of water took a lot of energy from governments, and essentially the governments that

The developmental process that started in Iran about six decades ago has greatly impacted the issue of water scarcity. It seems that the most important challenge for the land and people of Iran in the future will be the environment, water, and soil erosion. The water crisis appears to be a serious and inevitable issue. Along with financial collapse, it will be the biggest crisis in the future of Iran.

Second – Water management and tribal and ethnic issues

One of the most non-expert tasks of the Islamic Republic during its lifetime has been the major water transfer projects from the west of Zagros to the central plateau of Iran. The central plateau regions of Iran are dry and water-scarce. And this water scarcity is not a recent issue. The climate of this region of Iran has been like this for thousands of years. The strange insistence of some leaders of the system to transfer water from areas that have water to dry areas is due to a local and tribal perspective and a lack of national consideration for the water issue. But have central plateau regions like Yazd suddenly become in need of water? For example, Yazd has always been dry for thousands of years; and this dryness of the land has made the Yazidis creative people who were called “Qanat and Qanot and Qanat” people. The Yazidis, throughout history, took the art of water management with them wherever they migrated. The people of the central

Of course, the problem is much more deeply rooted. Establishing large, high-consumption industries such as iron smelting, Mobarakeh Steel, and others in desert areas and neighboring deserts was a sheer mistake, and from now on, the volume of these industries should not be increased in these areas. We should think about creating large desalination facilities on the shores of the Sea of Oman and use the water from there to address shortages.

Most importantly, all of the country’s resources, from water and oil and gas to mines and so on, belong to all of Iran and Iranians, and no region or ethnicity has exclusive ownership over anything. Everything is shared. Opposing the transfer of water without expertise and without principles, which destroys the climate of the source region and disrupts the climate balance of the destination region, should not take on a national or local color, but should be based on national and climate reasons and the necessity of not interfering with ecosystems (which is the most dangerous and treacherous action possible).

Third – Signs of Crisis and Intensification of Catalysts

The water crisis has gradually played a fundamental role in political and social crises. Just like in Syria, where it also played a fundamental role. The Stockholm International Water Institute, one of the important international think tanks, addressed this important issue in a report titled “The Impact of Water Scarcity on Displacement and Migration in Syria” in 2016. According to this report, some researchers and analysts consider water scarcity as the catalyst for the Syrian crisis. Findings from some scientific sources show that the long-term drought in Syria, which lasted for more than five years, led to a significant decrease in agricultural production and an increase in unemployment and migration in the country. Approximately one and a half million people from rural areas migrated to cities, including the cities where the uprising began in March 2011, in search of work. The lack of access to basic needs, including water, is a major factor in people’s migration from their place of residence to other areas (within or outside the country).

In Iran, the signs of the impact of water crisis on social and political crises in Iran are clearly visible. It can be argued that the water crisis was the catalyst for the protests in December 2017. The cities with the most severe protests and casualties were Doroud and Izeh. These two cities are located next to the largest dams in Iran and face severe problems in providing drinking water and irrigation for agriculture. In recent years, several villages in these two cities were evacuated for dam construction. Even the Friday prayer leader of Izeh, when a minibus carrying 12 people sank in the Karun 3 dam lake four years ago, said, “Israel did not put Gaza under siege like some officials from the Ministry of Energy, the Khuzestan Governorate, and especially the officials of the government-owned Water and Power Company, who have put the people of Danbaleh Rud and Sadat Barhagh Hosseini under siege, and we have to witness the deaths

Fourth

“من دوست دارم که با تو باشم”

“I love to be with you” آب

The role of uncontrolled dam construction in exacerbating the water crisis.

The reckless dam constructions that have taken place in the country have caused widespread destruction of the environment in Iran. The Ghotun-Daliya dam is one of the important cases in this matter, the full extent of which has not yet been fully revealed. This dam, which was built in conjunction with a large salt mine, has made the major water resources of the region brackish and has pushed the local farmers to the brink of bankruptcy and ruin. It seems that in future protests, the cities and villages of this region will be even more agitated. A complete explanation of this dam must be provided so that readers can fully understand the depth of this disaster. The Ghotun-Daliya dam is one of the largest dams in Iran, built on the Karun River in the southwest of the country. The Khatam al-Anbiya Sepah Base was the executor of this project. The dam is located 380 kilometers from the Karun River delta and is the last dam

This project was built against the opinions of all experts in the country and was commissioned. When the dam was built, the salt domes were far from the river and had no connection to it. They built the dam and started to commission it. The water was taken from the valleys and plains and reached the salt domes. Thousands of tons of salt dissolved in the water and made the Karun River salty. The purpose of building the Gotvand dam and power plant was to provide a portion of the country’s electricity needs, control seasonal floods of the Karun River, and regulate irrigation water downstream. It was also intended for the dam lake to become a tourist attraction for the region. Since the commissioning of the Gotvand dam, approximately 17 million tons of salt have been released from the dam and entered the Karun River. The amount of dissolved salt in the deep waters behind the Gotvand dam is now estimated to be more than 10 times saltier than ocean water

Iran has an area of over one million and six hundred thousand square kilometers. The total number of authorized and unauthorized wells is 750,000; meaning that there is one well for every two square kilometers. This means that they have essentially turned a semi-desert and dry country into a water pump. Additionally, in the 1970s and 1980s, a major dam-building movement began in Iran and almost all of the country’s running waters were designated for dam construction projects. The effects of this foolish movement are so terrifying that it has dried up most of the wetlands and inland lakes in Iran and caused damage to the environment. The greed of the “water mafia” in Iran was so insatiable and they ignored the warnings of environmental activists, that some environmentalists in Iran suggested giving the desert to the dam builders; let them build so many dams until they die!

Twelve years ago, when the first government of Ahmadinejad was formed, Parviz Fattah, who had previously been titled “the enduring face of dam building” among the leaders of the Islamic Republic, was chosen as the Minister of Energy. I gave a conference at Shahid Beheshti University stating that this extensive dam building, which had gained momentum since the 1970s and is still ongoing, is considered a betrayal in a country like Iran. Growing up in a village, I had a relatively complete understanding of agriculture and the importance of water. In previous years, I had witnessed the effects of dam building on agricultural lands and the depletion of groundwater. After that conference, almost all of my friends turned against me. From reformists to agents, to even nationalists. Their argument was that “Iran ranks second in dam building in the world and we can only take pride in our dam building. We don’t have any special industries or brands! And you’re trying to question

Fifth

“من دوست دارم که همیشه شاد باشی”

“I love it when you are always happy.”

Mismanagement in agricultural affairs

Another issue that caused a devastating impact on the water resources of the country was the management of agriculture in Iran, which was completely unregulated and harmful. The irrational insistence on self-sufficiency in agricultural production has inflicted such a blow on the lands of Iran that it is sometimes irreparable. Products that consume a lot of water and their import from other countries is more economically viable. In the following, some of the serious consequences of mismanagement in agriculture are mentioned.

A very interesting and at the same time tragic event, the “Wandering Apple Tsunami” is happening in the basin of Lake Urmia. Before the revolution and in the early years after the revolution in February 1979, Urmia grapes and the surrounding cities had global fame and large wine production companies in different countries were customers of Urmia grapes. Grapes are a fruit that requires little water and can be turned into various food products. Of course, other fruits were also grown in the region, but grapes were more abundant than others. However, after the revolution, a flood of evil fruits of the ruling ideology swept through all aspects of the Iranian society. It even showed no mercy to the agriculture of this nation and country. Grape cultivation was limited in this region during the Islamic Republic era and was mostly replaced by apples (a highly consumed fruit). Statistics show that the area of apple orchards in West Azerbaijan province has been increasing every year since the early years of the revolution

Isa Kalantari, the head of the Environmental Organization, says: “Despite the increase in modern irrigation systems in West Azerbaijan, water consumption has increased by 280 million cubic meters. This is because 14,000 hectares of land have been added to the cultivated area.” (4) This means that with this situation, the death of Lake Urmia and environmental disasters in the northwest of the country are certain.

The issue of the drying of Lake Urmia is very simple. The lake does not have water on its own, it needs to be filled with water. It is not possible to pour water into it with buckets and tankers. The same goes for the Caspian Sea, which is of such magnitude that 80% of its water is supplied by the Volga River. If the Volga and other rivers in the Caspian basin are closed, the entire Caspian region will turn into a desert or a salt lake within a few decades, just like Lake Urmia. There are several rivers that supply water to the lake, and these rivers need to keep flowing. However, thousands of wells and dozens of dams have been built in the basin, which do not allow any water to reach the rivers.

In recent years, the discussion of “virtual water” to determine the economic feasibility of agricultural production has increased significantly. Virtual water refers to all the water used in the production of agricultural and industrial products. This concept was first introduced by British researcher Professor John Anthony Allan in the 1990s, and since then, his research has received significant attention from economic and political sectors. Unfortunately, in Iran, this issue has not been given any attention in strategic plans and top-level documents. The unreasonable insistence on self-sufficiency in agricultural products, especially grains, has destroyed Iran’s soil and continuing this trend will undoubtedly be destructive. (5) It takes 1300 liters of water to produce one kilogram of wheat. The term “virtual” in the definition of “virtual water” means that the majority of the water used in the production process does not have a physical presence in the final product, and in reality, a very small portion of the water consumed will remain as real water in the

According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, Iran ranks fourth in the world with an annual production of over 2.2 million tons of watermelon. This product is grown in four seasons and annually more than 100,000 tons of watermelon are exported to Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait. The head of the Iranian Water Resources Studies Office believes that by exporting 100,000 tons of watermelon, more than 50 billion liters of water are exported out of the country annually. (6) The virtual water of watermelon is more than 400 liters, while the price of one kilogram of watermelon is sometimes as high as 200 tomans in some summer months. The watermelon that requires 400 liters of water to produce one kilogram, which means that with the mentioned price, only one toman is accounted for two liters of water; now add the costs of cultivation, maintenance, harvesting, transportation, and storage. Is there really a need to

Therefore, it seems that the self-sufficiency program in grain production should be stopped as soon as possible and some of the high-consumption agricultural products should be supplied partly through imports and partly through greenhouse cultivation. The goal is not to stop agriculture, but rather to have agriculture at a reasonable and logical level based on Iran’s water and soil capacity.

Notes:

1. The shocking words of the Imam of Jomeh Ize regarding Karoon 3, Tabnak, August 2nd, 2013.

2. The Gotvand Dam is a serious problem for the environment, online economy, 3 Khordad 1396.

3. What will be the fate of the Gotvand Dam? Etelaat News and Analysis Website, September 16, 2015.

4. The country’s policies are not in line with the water crisis, Mehr, 20 November 2017.

5. Morgan, Leila, virtual water, a new concept in the Sixth Development Program, today’s opportunity, 29 Farvardin 1394.

6. طور که

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