Water and environmental experts have warned that Iran’s water crisis is continuing to intensify as the country’s renewable water resources steadily decline.
According to recent assessments, Iran’s renewable water resources have fallen from approximately 130 billion cubic metres several decades ago to less than 100 billion cubic metres today, placing the country within the category of water stress under the Falkenmark Water Stress Index.
The Falkenmark Index measures the annual amount of renewable freshwater available per person. Falling into the water-stress category indicates growing pressure on water supplies and increasing difficulty in meeting agricultural, industrial and domestic demand.
Amirhossein Sadeghzadeh, a water and environmental expert, warned that persistent declines in rainfall, rising temperatures, excessive groundwater extraction and the imbalance between water supply and demand could significantly worsen the crisis over the next 10 to 20 years if current trends continue.
He identified Khorasan Razavi, South Khorasan, Semnan, Yazd, Kerman, Sistan and Baluchestan, Isfahan, Qom and Qazvin as among the provinces facing the most severe water stress.
Sadeghzadeh also emphasized the importance of expanding domestic technologies for water treatment, wastewater recycling and more efficient water management, describing them as key measures to reduce the long-term impacts of the crisis.
Iran has experienced recurring droughts, declining groundwater levels and increasing pressure on water infrastructure in recent years, making water security one of the country’s most pressing environmental and economic challenges.
