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Mohammad Mohabbai

The severity of recent droughts in Iran has been such that even for provinces with high precipitation, such as Gilan and Mazandaran, the alarm has been sounded and this issue is indicative of the dire situation in other central, eastern, western, and southern provinces of the country. Therefore, serious attention has been paid to the issue of water resource management by governors, the crisis headquarters of the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Energy, and the Ministry of Agriculture.

Drought is one of the natural hazards and dangerous events that occurs as a result of less than normal or expected rainfall. If this lack of precipitation persists for a long period of time, such as a season or more, the water needs for human activities and the environment will not be met. Drought itself is not a disaster, but its impact on people and the environment determines whether it is catastrophic or not. Therefore, the key point in understanding drought is understanding its natural and social dimensions.

Drought is a natural phenomenon that has occurred in all eras; however, its effects have been more noticeable in recent years due to population growth and increased water consumption. In the past, the damages caused by drought were perceived as heavenly disasters due to human ignorance of the secrets of nature and lack of appropriate solutions, as evidenced by inscriptions from the Achaemenid era in ancient Iran.

Drought also has significant social effects. In dry years, conflicts between water users intensify. The material damages caused by water scarcity and consequently the shortage of products should also be considered as its social effects.

Another consequence of drought is damage to water resources, which leads to restrictions on nutrition and a decrease in water quality. During periods of water scarcity, there is a decline in water quality and an increased risk of pollution and diseases. The loss of agricultural products and livestock, including economic losses to farmers and livestock owners, is among the damages caused by drought. In addition, drought has destructive effects on infrastructure and welfare, and in some cases, it can cause harm.

Life is also becoming…

As mentioned, drought is a natural phenomenon that occurs periodically. Therefore, we must find solutions for its consequences.

Bilan Water in the World and Iran.

Although the planet Earth is also referred to as the terrestrial sphere, only 25% of its surface is made up of land; 75% of our sphere is composed of water, which is scattered in the vast oceans and seas. The total amount of water on the Earth’s sphere is 1,400 million cubic kilometers; to put this into perspective, imagine a cube with a length, width, and height of one kilometer. In other words, one cubic kilometer of water is equivalent to one billion cubic meters of water.

This volume of water (meaning one thousand and four hundred million cubic kilometers), has remained constant since the creation of the Earth, neither added to nor subtracted from. There is still no unified theory about the origin of water on Earth. About 4 billion years ago, the Earth had a greenhouse state; something similar to the current planet Venus, with active volcanoes erupting frequently and continuous bombardment of meteorites and asteroids. Another period in Earth’s history, between 2.6 billion and 1.8 billion years ago, saw the Earth enter its coldest period and transform into a snowball, with the water on Earth taking shape over this 800 million year period. However, some geologists believe that the water on Earth was the result of a collision with a comet around 3 billion years ago.

Out of the total amount of water in the world, 97.4% of it is salty water in the seas and oceans, which is not usable due to its salinity. Freshwater reserves only make up 2.6% of the total volume of surface water, with the majority of it, 2.1%, being in the form of ice in the Earth’s poles, natural glaciers, and underground water (referring to deep water in the Earth’s core known as fossil water, which is different from water extracted from wells). This means that only 0.5% of the Earth’s total water is usable, and in fact, human life is dependent on this small amount of water. This means that the amount of drinking water in the world is only half a percent of the total water, found in freshwater lakes, rivers, underground water sources, and water vapor in the atmosphere, which are replenished through atmospheric precipitation such as snow and rain.

In Iran, due to the amount of precipitation, the water reserves are decreasing. While the average annual precipitation in the world is 813 millimeters, the precipitation in the Middle East and Iran is 217 and 228 millimeters respectively, which is less than one third of the world’s average precipitation.

If we multiply 228 millimeters of precipitation by the area of Iran, the number 413 billion cubic meters of water enters the plateau of Iran every year. From this amount of precipitation, 65% evaporates and 11% seeps into the soil. Evaporation and seepage into the soil of plains is a natural process and cannot be controlled. Only 26% of the water flows into the mountains and highlands and is carried through rivers and springs. This means that practically 110 billion cubic meters of usable water enters the plateau of Iran every year.

The Blue Water Equation of the country indicates that the country will face water stress in the year 1400 due to population growth and increased withdrawals. Currently, around 92 billion cubic meters of water is consumed in the country under normal conditions, with 92% of it being used in the agricultural sector (compared to 70% globally), 6% for drinking purposes (compared to 8% globally), and approximately 2% in the industrial sector (compared to 22% globally). The main source of this water consumption is approximately 54% from groundwater, 27% from reservoirs, and 19% from surface water withdrawals. As observed, the measures taken to increase water efficiency in the agricultural sector have not been sufficient, and the majority of water consumption in this sector is done with low efficiency.

Features of Iran’s blue water.

Iran has a population of over 75 million people and the demand for water in this country is increasing. While this country is facing a shortage of water resources, the amount of water consumption within the country is 70% higher than the global average. Population growth, resource scarcity, drought, and climate change are all signs warning of a looming water crisis.

As Mr. Kalantari, former Minister of Agriculture, knows, the analysis of underground waters and the water crisis is the most serious threat to the country, and he states that if the current trend continues, Iran will become a country of ghosts in the next three decades. In fact, the water deficit has reached 100 million cubic meters in the late 1970s to 3.5 billion cubic meters in 2005 and 11 billion cubic meters in 2013 (interview of Eisa Kalantari with Qanoon newspaper, July 2013).

The average annual rainfall in Iran is 252 millimeters, which is one third of the global average. In fact, Iran is located in one of the driest regions in the world. It is worth noting that 70% of the rainfall is lost due to evaporation. This situation was even more severe in 2013, when there was a 30% decrease in rainfall compared to previous years, leading to a 30% decrease in the water volume behind dams. Considering these developments, it is expected that the per capita water resources in Iran will reach 816 cubic meters in 2025 (in 1991, it was 2,025 cubic meters per capita).

More than 84% of the area of Iran is considered dry and semi-dry regions, and mountain ranges and deserts make up more than 50% of the area. According to the classifications, 6 main or first-degree catchment basins and 31 second-degree catchment basins are located within the geographical boundaries of Iran.

Apart from the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman basin, other major basins are located in areas that face limited access to fresh water. In fact, while nearly half of the renewable water resources are located in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman basin, this basin only makes up one fourth of the country’s area. In contrast, the central basin, which covers 50% of the country’s total area, only has access to one third of the renewable water resources.

On the other hand, water flows in the country are seasonal and the spring season is accompanied by floods and the summer season is accompanied by drought. Therefore, the availability of water for surface water-dependent purposes is highly variable. High evaporation rates also worsen the mentioned severe situation. This is why Iranians have been using qanats for water collection for 2000 years.

Iranians initially thought of transferring water from springs and rivers to dry areas using canals and channels, but soon realized that intense sunlight in the dry deserts and vast plains of Iran causes high evaporation rates and decreases water consumption efficiency. For this reason, they dug qanats and used them to guide clean water from underground valleys, from the foothills to the plains and even deserts, with minimal energy consumption. By digging numerous wells from the mountain slopes to the plains and connecting them to each other, they were able to constantly supply their needed water. In fact, with the help of qanats, several major and important challenges of water supply were solved in the best possible way.

Water is transferred from the mountains to the cities and villages located in the plains.

B – Due to the passage of water through underground channels, water does not evaporate or get wasted.

The canal water is clear, pure, fresh and free from surface pollution.

D – The water that comes from the qanats, as it is transferred from mountainous areas to the plains, is sweet and plentiful. However, the water obtained from deep wells in the plains often contains excessive amounts of salt and, due to evaporation in the Iranian deserts, using this water and the evaporation of surface water causes salt to be blown by the wind into the fields and agricultural lands, resulting in widespread destruction of crops. Despite the many years that have passed since the invention of qanats by Iranians, and despite significant advancements in water resource engineering, qanats are still a vital source of life in many villages and the livelihood of many people in the country is dependent on them. It is worth mentioning that the digging and maintenance of qanats is done through communal efforts, and the amount of water usage is dependent on the level of participation in their construction and, of course, the amount of water needed. In other words, the management of qanat

Solutions/Strategies.

A – Maintenance of water resources in the supply sector. This means that, considering the limited availability of renewable water resources in the country, it is necessary to search for new sources of water to meet some of the needs. Unconventional water resources have great potential for this purpose. With proper planning and utilization of this potential for purposes that can use this water, it is possible to reduce the pressure on the country’s renewable water resources. Development of urban and rural sewage disposal through public networks and utilization of the resulting water resources for agricultural purposes is an essential step that must be accelerated.

B – Optimizing consumption in the agricultural sector. In this way, moving towards land consolidation and preventing its fragmentation, implementing the national-regional optimal cropping pattern (according to the executive package of the Ministry of Agriculture in the country’s fifth development plan), and directing financial support and subsidies towards agricultural activities with a national-regional optimal cropping pattern.

J – The rapid transfer of water industries from central and water-scarce regions of the country to the southern coasts is one of the most important tasks that must be done. For example, currently the people of central provinces of the country are facing the problem of water scarcity and the issue of transferring water from other provinces to these regions has become a national dispute, even causing confrontation among representatives of different provinces in the parliament.

What is the need for industries like steel, which consume a lot of water, to be located in desert and water-scarce areas of the country? It may be argued that it creates employment, but the reality is that it causes more unemployment, as the reckless consumption of water resources endangers agriculture and animal husbandry in the region and destroys many jobs in this sector.

The coasts of Sistan and Baluchestan, Hormozgan, and Bushehr provinces can be good options for industrial development. The presence of the South Pars gas field in Bushehr province can provide the necessary energy for these industries. Desalination of the open seas for industries is also cheaper than desalination for drinking purposes.

D – Additionally, a large portion of Iran’s agriculture is made up of products that consume a lot of water and interestingly, are also exported. This is while if instead of these products – for example, watermelons – the water used was exported, the country would benefit more; although the main profit comes from preserving underground water resources, not even from exporting high-income packaged water.

Therefore, the “National Crop Planting Guide” should be prepared as soon as possible and the cultivation of crops that require abundant water should be limited, as some fruits can be omitted from export and even some fruits can be imported if necessary, but underground water cannot be replenished by resolution and import.

Recent floods, a warning sign.

During the last week of Farvardin and the first week of Ordibehesht of this year, people in 12 provinces including Lorestan, Ilam, Kermanshah, Fars, Khuzestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Hamadan, Isfahan, North Khorasan and Razavi Khorasan, Kurdistan and East Azerbaijan have experienced floods. However, the provinces of Khuzestan, Ilam, and Lorestan have suffered the most damage. Unfortunately, for over a century, proper planning for settlement and agriculture in Iran has not been carried out scientifically, as the population of nomadic tribes decreased and the rural and urban populations increased. As a result, there are millions of hectares of unused land in the country. However, there are also many agricultural lands that are now in the path of floods. In addition, the construction of dams to control seasonal floods and direct them to various lakes on the Iranian plateau has