Official statistics reveal a significant decline in the water reserves of Iran’s dams attributed to the imbalanced production of hydroelectric power during the summer.
On Sunday, December 17, the ISNA news agency reported that reservoir dam usage statistics until December 11 indicate that the water levels in these dams stand at a mere 40%.
Detailed statistics from the government indicate a 7% increase in water inflow into the dams compared to the same period last year until December 11. However, the water discharge from the dams has surged by 22%, resulting in a depletion of water reserves by 1 billion cubic meters.
Regrettably, neither the official statistics nor statements from officials offer explanations for the 22% surge in water discharge. Yet, insights from the Ministry of Energy on electricity production highlight a substantial and uneven increase in hydropower generation, aiming to offset the summer electricity deficit but adversely impacting dam water reserves.
Iran is grappling with water bankruptcy, where the consumption of renewable fresh water surpasses the regime’s promises, leaving limited water reserves relegated to diminishing underground water tables.
The inflow into aquifers is significantly less than the withdrawal. Issa Kalantari, the regime’s former Minister of Agriculture and ex-head of the Environmental Protection Organization, recently disclosed that aquifer replenishment is around 20 billion cubic meters, while withdrawal exceeds 51 billion cubic meters annually, resulting in a negative balance of underground fresh water resources.
This deficit of 31 billion cubic meters is alarming, considering the country’s renewable water resources hover around 90 billion cubic meters annually.
In addition to depleting aquifers, numerous rivers and wetlands have dried up, with accompanying side effects such as subsidence, soil erosion, and the dispersion of fine dust, adversely affecting millions of Iranians.
In the pursuit of industrial and agricultural development, the regime has constructed dams, stored water in open reservoirs, and exploited underground water resources without consideration for future generations or the intrinsic value of these vital water sources.
In the years following the Iran-Iraq war, the country’s development and agricultural self-sufficiency relied on dams and hydropower production. Unfortunately, the regime, either unaware or indifferent to concepts like water stress, climate change, and global warming, neglected environmentally friendly solutions.
A common thread in recent decades’ water and development projects is the disregard for long-term environmental, social, and economic impacts, signaling the regime’s neglect of the country’s environmental conditions.
Recent headlines feature projects for inter-basin water transfer and desalinated water transfer to Iran’s central plateau. The continuation of these projects, despite the majority of experts’ clear opposition, raises serious questions. These initiatives have caused significant damage to plants, vegetation, and animal life.
Remarkably, environmental impact assessment in inter-basin water transfer projects was excluded from the regime’s 7th Development Plan. If the Environmental Protection Organization fails to respond to any plan within three months, the government considers it approved, allowing project implementation without barriers.
In the design and execution of such projects, substantial profits are at stake, and the weaker the monitoring organizations, the more easily environmentally incompatible projects gain approval, enriching operators.
Elements within the regime involved in these projects, dubbed the ‘water mafia‘ by the country’s media, have created conditions that allow them to push through hazardous projects unsuitable for the country.
Short-term financial gains and periodic political interests have driven these projects forward. Election candidates, contractors, and consulting companies have disseminated inaccurate information about project outcomes to the affected populations.
While inter-basin water transfer plans may temporarily satisfy water recipients, the source basins in Iran have consistently borne the brunt. Consequently, these policies have turned people in source and destination basins into rivals and enemies.
