Severity of Water Crisis in Khuzestan Province; Several Power Plants May Be Taken Offline

A Khuzestan provincial official described the severity of the water crisis in the province as unprecedented and warned that due to drought, several hydroelectric power plants in Khuzestan may be taken offline. Kiamart Hajizadeh, the director general of crisis management in Khuzestan, stated on Wednesday, January 17, that if adequate rainfall does not occur by the end of winter, "we will definitely face a water and electricity crisis in the province." He noted that the water conditions experienced in Khuzestan this summer were "unprecedented in the last four decades," with temperatures exceeding 54 and 55 degrees Celsius for 53 days, and even reaching 60 degrees Celsius in direct sunlight on some days. However, due to "cooperation and follow-ups," Khuzestan managed to have a tension-free summer and autumn regarding water and electricity supply. Recently, the Iranian Ministry of Energy announced that this year has recorded the "lowest" rainfall in the country in the last half-century. According to the ministry, the inflow of water into the main dams in Iran this year is 30% lower than the same period last year, and in some watersheds like the Persian Gulf, rainfall has decreased by 67%. Even in some provinces where "good rainfall was expected," precipitation has decreased by 40 to 75%. Meanwhile, the director general of crisis management in Khuzestan mentioned that the conditions experienced this year in Hendijan have been unprecedented in the last decade, causing issues with the drinking water supply in the city in January. He added, "Unfortunately, warnings that were given were not heeded, and today Khuzestan has such a situation and is facing problems." According to this provincial official, "the status of inflow and the volume of reservoirs in Khuzestan dams has reached a warning level, such that some hydroelectric power plants in Khuzestan are currently going offline. On the other hand, farmers need to be informed and educated now so that they understand that conditions will not be favorable for future crops, and the current crops have been watered with great difficulty." Previously, the head of the Khuzestan Water and Power Organization also warned that the province's water reservoirs are facing severe shortages, with adequate water available only in the Karkheh area. In this situation, the Iranian Minister of Interior announced on Wednesday the readiness of governors and mayors to form a water crisis headquarters. Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, considering last year's resolution of this headquarters regarding water crisis management, requested all responsible agencies to submit reports of actions taken so far to the crisis management headquarters, and the head of the crisis management organization will receive the performance reports of these agencies in a meeting within the next week.