Iran afflicted with intensifying water scarcity

Water crisis has become a very serious and complicated problem in the country, Iran's Energy Minister, Hamid Chitchian, said here on Saturday.

Water crisis is a major challenge of the country today, and it is so serious and complicated a problem that the solution requires the collective efforts of Iranian authorities as well as public and private sectors, Chitchian was quoted as saying by official IRNA news agency.

Climate change, global warming and excessive use of water for sanitation, agriculture and industry, and improper use of water by public are the causes of intensifying water crisis, he said.

Many lakes, water wells and other water sources have dried up in the country over the past decade, he said.

Besides, the amount of rainfall has decreased to the average amount of 244 millimetres in Iran over the past 15 years, he added.

Earlier, Esmaeil Najjar, deputy interior minister, said that more than half of Iran's cities were struggling with water shortages.

Most cities in the country were facing the crisis of drinking water shortage, Najjar said.

With the rising temperature in summer season in the country, water scarcity becomes a source of serious concerns for Iranian officials and people in the central and southern part of the country, including the capital Tehran.

Iran Environment Protection Organization Masoumeh Ebtekar have said that water resources should be managed properly and consumption should be fairly regulated.

Further reports also blamed the water crisis in Iran on excessive damming of rivers, bad irrigation practices, drought and climate change.

On top of this, low water prices encourage wasteful consumption while some farmers and organizations have been accused of stealing water supplies for their own purposes.

A 2013 study conducted by the World Resources Institute ranked Iran as the world's 24th most water-stressed nation, putting it at extremely high risk of future water scarcity.