The alarm of a harsh summer in Iran!/ What is the solution to this year’s water crisis?

According to the social reporter of Moj news agency

contrary to the organization’s prediction Meteorology According to the fact that in 1402, we will have a rainy autumn and winter, the rainfall in the fall of 1402 had decreased by 47.4% compared to the long-term average, and compared to last year, we had a 31% decrease in precipitation, and the rainfall statistics were negative in 28 provinces. It is also predicted that the winter rainfall will be at best normal and will not exceed it.

The decrease in rainfall has also created difficult conditions for the reserves of the country’s dams and caused up to 60% of the reserves of the country’s dams to be empty.

Considering these conditions, it seems that Iran has entered its fourth year of severe drought and the conditions indicate that we will have a very difficult summer. In addition to causing the country a challenge in the field of drinking water, agriculture and industry, the decrease in rainfall has also caused the lack of drainage of wetlands and lakes, and it seems that we have to wait for dust storms from the very beginning of 1403.

Supply management and consumption management, the conditions for exiting the water crisis!

In this regard, senior environmental expert Elaha Mohadi told the reporter of Moj news agency: Drought It is not a foreign word for our country, and due to being located in the arid and semi-arid climate of the world, we are always a country that is exposed to drought, but in recent years, due to climate changes, the effect of these droughts and their period have been longer. Drought has always affected our country in recent years, so that the per capita water available to every Iranian has approached 1200 cubic meters from about 7 thousand cubic meters half a century ago, which is a very small number.

He continued: The point about the country’s drought this year was related to the wrong prediction of the Meteorological Organization, which predicted a rainy year for the country and gave people hope and also caused the officials of various institutions to prepare for a dry year. no longer change. Therefore, this wrong prediction will have bad consequences for the country.

This senior expert the environment He emphasized: Considering the conditions of rains, reservoirs of dams and natural reserves of snow in the highlands of the country, it is certain that we will experience difficult conditions this year, and this increases the need for planning to adapt to water scarcity in the country. This planning should be done in such a way that the supply of drinking water happens without problems at the beginning, and in the next stages, the environment, agriculture and industry are taken into consideration.

Movahdi explained: In this regard, the main task is on the Ministry of Energy, which must properly manage supply and consumption management. In the supply management sector, 16 provinces and 30 cities that have more special conditions should be prioritized first, and then attention should be paid to other provinces. In some cases, it is possible to provide the water needed by these cities by laying pipes in short routes, and considering the challenge we face, transferring water in very short routes can be a solution.

He said: The important thing is that the Ministry of Energy should not dig more wells in this situation, because there is already a lot of pressure on the country’s underground water, and in some places we have experienced the death of the aquifer. Instead, you can use some dug wells that are available to municipalities and military forces.

Referring to the wastage of water in the network, this expert said: Another important issue is the amount of water that is wasted in the transmission network, which some statistics say is 13% of the volume of transmission drinking water. Considering the water shortage that awaits the country, it is necessary to repair and replace the transmission lines as soon as possible.

Mowhedi stated: Another part is related to consumption management, the role of people is very key in this matter, and if our consumption is correct, it will help a lot to get the country out of the crisis.

Agriculture is the biggest consumer of water in the country

Agriculture is the biggest consumer of water in our country, and various reports report that 74 to 90 percent of the country’s water resources are used in agriculture. This is despite the fact that in recent years, without using new agricultural methods, new irrigation systems and increasing agricultural efficiency, we have only increased the cultivated land, which in addition to consuming more water, has also caused the destruction of the environment.

In this regard, Mowhedi said: It is necessary to change the cultivation pattern in places that are under severe water stress, or to implement a no-planting plan in some places according to the country’s water conditions. Agriculture is the main consumer of water and any action that needs to be taken should start from this sector.

He continued: If water consumption in agriculture is managed, we will definitely have less problems in other sectors as well. This matter requires the cooperation of the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad and the Ministry of Energy.

This senior environmental expert emphasized: Food security is important for all countries and agriculture is definitely the main platform for food security, but we must know that water is the source of human life, and therefore life security in such conditions is even preferable to food security.

Mohadi said: Considering that in our country, agriculture is also given the title of environment, this case, along with the decrease in rainfall this year, could lead to the intensification of dust storms in the country in the first half of 1403.

Any development should be adapted to climate change

Apart from the decrease in rainfall this year, our country has always faced dry conditions, but despite this, development plans in our country show that there is no firm determination to adapt to these conditions, and our steps are against the path of adapting to climate change and its effects. Is!

Mowahdi explained in this regard: These measures will work in the short term and can help reduce the water tension, but we must look for a solution for the long term. Before any action, we must consider the resilience of the ecosystem in the development of the country. For example, the city of Tehran no longer has the ability to load more and its water resources are more limited than ever, but in the same situation, we see that the development of new cities in the province is still going on.

He continued: “Everywhere in the world, the development of industries takes place by the water, but we still define the development of industries in the central desert of Iran, and to supply them with water, we pipe hundreds to thousands of kilometers from the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf, which in addition to imposing costs Excessive losses will also result in irreparable damages. We still consider the increase in food security dependent on the increase of cultivated land and we do not make any efforts to develop greenhouse, hydroponic, etc. agricultural methods. Irrigation in our country is done according to the method of our ancestors for thousands of years and we do not use the experiences of other countries.

In the end, this expert noted: We must accept that there is a reality called climate change, and our country is also suffering from its consequences, including drought. Therefore, every action, every plan and every development in the country should be in line with these changes.