Increase in Water Dispute; Water Transfer Projects Exempted from 'Environmental Assessment'

Iranian media has reported that according to water sector resolutions, 'water transfer projects' have been exempted from 'environmental assessment' in the Agriculture Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly's 'Seventh Development Plan' bill. According to the website 'Didban Iran', with the removal of 'approval by relevant authorities' such as the Environmental Protection Organization or the Ministry of Cultural Heritage during the approval process of clauses related to the implementation of water transfer projects from the Seventh Development Plan bill of the Islamic Republic, their execution is now solely dependent on 'technical approvals' and 'approval by the Supreme Water Council'. The report states that most current 'water transfer' projects, which have been initiated under the guise of 'providing drinking water', are opposed by the public and environmental activists who believe these projects are actually intended to 'provide water for industry and agriculture'. Meanwhile, Ahmad Vazifeh, head of the National Drought Crisis Management Center of the Islamic Republic's Meteorological Organization, reported on August 4 that there is a 'drinking water supply crisis' in all regions of the country, stating to the website 'Eco Iran' that the water situation is 'very dire' in the eastern half and parts of the northern country. He emphasized that the drinking water supply situation in most regions, especially in metropolitan areas, has become 'problematic' and that if low precipitation continues in some cities, including Mashhad, 'drinking water supply will not be possible'. On the other hand, the website 'Tejarat News' also reported on August 6, citing 'official statistics', that '16 large dams' in Iran have 'less than 50 percent' of their water capacity, with the 'reservoir levels' of dams in Golestan Province reported as 'zero', and the Rudbal dam in Fars Province holding only 'two million cubic meters' of water. The 'water shortage crisis' has intensified in recent months, to the extent that eyewitnesses have told the Persian section of 'Voice of America' that 'frequent outages' of water and electricity in various urban, industrial, and agricultural areas have disrupted the lives of citizens. Despite these serious challenges vital for Iranian citizens, poor water management, covert dam constructions, and unsustainable extraction from underground resources continue; now, environmental assessments and the acquisition of customary permits have been removed from the necessary requirements for carrying out water transfer projects. The news site 'Emtidad' on August 19, in an article referring to the drying of wetlands, lakes, and plains in Iran, wrote: 'Currently, the annual extraction from underground water resources through wells has increased from 9 billion cubic meters to 47 billion cubic meters, with the number of wells increasing 16 times and the extraction amount increasing 5 times.'