Water Supply in Sistan and Baluchestan Transferred to the IRGC

The ongoing water crisis in Sistan and Baluchestan province has led to the transfer of water supply responsibilities to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) through seawater desalination. The Tasnim news agency reported that the province is facing severe drought and Afghanistan's failure to fulfill its water rights for the Helmand River. Consequently, the use of surface water in Sistan, which is sourced from outside the country, has drastically decreased in recent years. The governor of Sistan and Baluchestan referred to the Oman Sea water transfer project, stating that the responsibility for this massive project has been assigned to the Khatam al-Anbia Headquarters, with work progressing rapidly. Mohammad Karami emphasized that in the coming months, the water supply for the city of Zahedan will be separated from the Sistan region. The state news agency IRNA reported on June 30 about the onset of summer and issues such as water shortages, pressure drops, and prolonged water outages in Sistan and Baluchestan. According to this news agency, the province has been grappling with the consequences of climate change, chronic droughts, and severe water shortages for over 22 years, experiencing the lowest rainfall among the country's provinces, which has caused numerous problems for the residents. Sistan and Baluchestan has been in the news for months due to protest Fridays, and the various issues in the province have heightened concerns about the people's situation. Political analysts believe that the involvement of security institutions in meeting essential needs could pose a significant threat to the province's residents in the future. Increasing concerns about Iran's water reserves indicate an impending water crisis, with Sistan and Baluchestan facing water and electricity outages alongside long queues for chicken due to drought. The situation is exacerbated by subsidence and population migration from 'Central Iran', with Isfahan, Fars, and Khorasan on the brink of disaster. The number of casualties has risen, with a sandstorm sending '1059 people' to hospitals in Sistan and Baluchestan. The trend of internal migration in Iran is rising, primarily due to the lack of livable conditions in cities.