In an interview with Mehr News Agency on April 1, Sattar Mahmoudi announced that six major Iranian cities, including Bandar Abbas, Shiraz, Kerman, Mashhad and Hamadan are in the “red zone” for water scarcity.
He added that “in the short-term, no big plans may be realized to solve the problems of these cities, but endeavors and urgent actions are ongoing so that the people in these cities will not face major problems.”
Likewise, IRNA News Agency reported on 15 August 2015 that Iran is among 24 countries that are in the danger zone for shortage of water, due to poor planning over the past 35 years.
In June 2014, the magazine Nature published a report noting that the acute water crisis is the greatest challenge facing Iran in contemporary times and that no steps have been taken during the past three decades to remedy the crisis. The report states that Iran has already missed its opportunity to prepare for danger and is thus already in the danger zone nationwide.
