Drought Prevails Across Iran

R ecent statistics indicate that most parts of Iran are suffering from various degrees of short- and long-term drought based on meteorological indices.
Studies on meteorological drought over a one-year period ending Aug. 22, based on the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index, show that 88% of the country’s area grappled with different levels of short-term drought.
According to Shahrokh Fateh, the head of Drought and Crisis Management Center at Iran’s Meteorological Organization, 26% of Iran’s area suffered abnormally dry conditions and 29% faced moderate drought during the period, ISNA reported.
"Severe and extreme drought conditions prevailed over 24% and 9% of the areas respectively," he said.
Only 10% had a normal status and the remaining 2% experienced precipitation.
For the longer period of 84 months (seven years) leading to Aug. 22, SPEI indicates worsening conditions, with 94% of the country affected by different levels of long-term drought.
Severe and extreme conditions prevailed across 30% and 12% of areas respectively.
Some 11% of regions were abnormally dry and 41% experienced moderate drought.
"Long-term meteorological drought indices are useful means of assessing the general states of the country’s water resources," he said.
Iran has been battling drought for over 15 years, thanks to declining rainfall, rising temperatures, inefficient farming practices, excessive consumption in metropolises and poor management of resources.

Iranian Political Prisoners in Gohardasht on Hunger Strike, Tehran Won’t Budge

Between 12 and 22 political prisoners incarcerated in Iran’s infamous Gohardasht Prison have been protesting inhumane treatment by engaging in a hunger strike, some of them for over a month – but prison officials have not budged or indicated that they are any closer to meeting the prisoners’ demands.
Inmates were forced to leave medications and other personal belongings behind during the transfer, and are also protesting additional security cameras, listening devices, not enough beds or drinking water, and poor ventilation.
Judicial and prison officials are denying medical treatment to the prisoners, who are suffering from malnutrition and declining health.
Prisoners must endure their punishment to the fullest."
The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has called on the Ministry of Justice and the State Prison Organization to provide medical treatment to the prisoners and address their demands for humane treatment.
"The Iranian judiciary’s denial of these political prisoners’ legitimate demands may cost the lives of prisoners who have no other way to attract attention to the inhumane conditions at the prison," said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of CHRI, in a statement on the organization’s website.
"They can either continue to pass the buck around to different bureaucracies inside the country or immediately address this life-threatening situation and be accountable to the prisoners under their care."
Jafar Eghdami, who has been incarcerated at Gohardasht for nine years, is one of those in miserable condition after weeks of hunger striking.
Jafar was arrested in August 2008 for participating in a peaceful political protest to commemorate the mass execution of political prisoners twenty years earlier.
"They sent my son to prison for no reason and he has been serving his time but they can’t stop harassing him," Zahra said.

Iran: Plight Of Political Prisoners Signals Regime Turmoil

Iran: Plight Of Political Prisoners Signals Regime Turmoil.
International spotlight is again on Tehran’s nuclear program, with the United States demanding United Nations inspectors be granted access to its military sites.
Equally troubling is Iran’s collaboration with North Korea to pursue their nuclear ambitions and ballistic missile capabilities.
Such dossiers are enough to undermine the spirit of the JCPOA, Tehran now also considers its meddling in the Middle East indispensable in its effort to establish a regional empire reaching the Mediterranean.
As a result, receiving far less attention than it deserves is Iran’s Achilles Heel: human rights violations.
In the past month another urgent plight has emerged as dozens of political prisoners in Raja’i Shahr (Gohardasht) prison of Karaj, west of Tehran were suddenly transferred into a section on July 30th and kept under “suffocating” conditions, as described by Amnesty International.
On this day over 50 political prisoners in ward 10 of Raja’i Shahr prison witnessed authorities resort to force in transferring them to the new location.
A number of these cases are in need of dire medical care in outside facilities.
Iranian authorities have human rights commitments they are obligated to live up to.
Other such prisoners in different facilities across the country are launching their own similar hunger strikes in solidarity with the Raja’i Shahr political prisoners.

Environmental official warns of water waste in Iran

Environmental official warns of water waste in Iran.
TEHRAN, July 13 (Xinhua) — A senior Iranian environmental official said that some 27 billion cubic meters of water is squandered away in Iran every year, Financial Tribune daily reported on Thursday.
Masoumeh Ebtekar, Iran’s vice president and head of environmental protection organization, said that correcting consumption patterns in agriculture and industries is the only surefire way to reduce water loss.
Meanwhile, up to 170,000 illegal water wells have emerged as a major challenge for the government, which is pushing for rational agricultural practices.
About 92 percent of the country’s water resources are reportedly used up by unsustainable and wasteful farming and irrigating practices.
Iran’s annual water consumption tops 97 billion cubic meters, while the country only has 88 billion cubic meters of renewable sources, said Isa Kalantari, the former agriculture minister.
Further reports also blamed the water crisis in Iran on excessive damming of rivers, drought and climate change.
Moreover, low water prices encourage wasteful consumption, while some farmers and organizations have been accused of stealing water supplies for their own benefits.
Experts predict that Iran’s water scarcity will hit crisis level by 2025, when available renewable water will be less than 1,000 cubic meters per capita, down from 2,000 cubic meters in 1950.
The World Resources Institute ranked Iran as the world’s 24th most water-stressed nation, putting it at extremely high risk of future water scarcity.

Open Letter to Rouhani: Water Crisis in Iran Spells Future Conflict

Open Letter to Rouhani: Water Crisis in Iran Spells Future Conflict.
Print Email INU – An Open letter to Rouhani: Water crisis in Iran spells future conflict An open letter from an organisation dedicated to treating the water crisis in Iran criticising Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for his mishandling of the crisis has been released.
The letter, signed by 110 experts, researchers and scientists in the field of water security, warned Rouhani that Iran is facing an unprecedented water crisis and if left along, this could lead to “escalating conflicts…in the near future”.
The letter read: “In the near future, competing for limited water resources will expand, and conflicts over shares will spread across the country.” The head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian parliament, Alaa El-ddin Boroujerdi has previously confirmed that the “water crisis” has become a security issue and the Parliament established the Water Security Committee to track the consequences.
Boroujerdi said: “The water resources in the country are very limited; Iran is one of the driest places in the world and we have a water crisis that has practically become a security issue.” In a different interview, Boroujerdi said: “The country has very limited water resources, so that we are among the world’s most water-stressed countries… Meanwhile, wastewater is pouring into many rivers across the country, thereby ruining the healthy water.
“ Rahim Maidani, the water official at the Iranian Energy Ministry, said that 295 cities, including six large cities, are facing drought as the water crisis spreads across the country.
This water crisis has led to protests and demonstrations all over Iran, with protesters worried that the Iranian Regime has been directing water towards the Persian provinces in the centre of Iran, which has led to remote villages being abandoned in favour of the bigger cities.
Earlier this month, Iran Focus wrote a report on the crisis in which they commented: “Disruptions to water supply could cause health problems, especially during the current heatwave, mass migration as resident emigrate in order to find reliable water, and widespread protests as people become more and more concerned that their government isn’t doing enough.” The National Council of Resistance of Iran said: “[The] Regime is in crisis in all areas.
The environment, for instance, has turned into a huge crisis due to regime’s destructive policies.
Excessively digging deep wells and using groundwater resources besides regime’s failing to set up water distribution networks have caused citizens to suffer severe water scarcity.” Two years ago, the former agriculture minister Issa Klanter warned of the impending water crisis and said that 50 million Iranians would have to emigrate over the next twenty years in order to survive, creating another wave of refugees.

Water Crisis in Iran at Critical Level

Water Crisis in Iran at Critical Level.
If, however, renewable water usage is between 60-80 percent, the country is in a critical water condition.
A renewable water usage of more than 80 percent shows an ultra critical state, so that we could say that Iran with its 88 percent of renewable water usage is now in such a state.” It is not just the fact that the Regime did not act to stop natural water resource from being depleted, there is also the issue of healthy water being polluted by wastewater.
“ Disruptions to water supply could cause health problems, especially during the current heatwave, mass migration as resident emigrate in order to find reliable water, and widespread protests as people become more and more concerned that their government isn’t doing enough.
How are the people coping?
In Sistan and Bluchestan province, water is so scarce that more remote regions are having to be served by water tanker and many villages are left uninhabited.
One resident from Delgan, in the south-west of the province, told the state-run media that this is the most pressing issue currently.
The unnamed resident said: “Water disruption lasts four to five days sometimes, which is quite disturbing considering the unprecedented heat wave.” This is despite the fact the Delgan actually sits atop an area rich in groundwater resources.
The water supply project for Lorestan province has been left unfinished after funding dried up and now 597 villages are without water.
On Tuesday, June 27, residents of Boodjeh Sofla Aslandouz village in Ardebil province and Shahidgah and Gharakord districts in Pishva, Varamin protested the water crises and shut down roads.

How Serious is Water Crisis in Iran?

How Serious is Water Crisis in Iran?.
Unfortunately, the share of this country from the total fresh water resources is further limited due to the hot and arid climate.
Water shortage in Iran has been considered as one of the limiting factors for sustainable development.
However, today the country is faced with serious challenges in the water sector, including rising water demand and shortages, declining groundwater levels, deteriorating water quality, and increasing threats to the environment and various ecosystems.
The environmental issues are their least concern.
Food security under water scarcity in the Middle East: Problems and solutions.
Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 3(4): 208-216. http://www.aljazeera.com/ programmes/peopleandpower/ 2016/11/iran-water-crisis- 161109114752047.html Kaveh Madani Larijani, 2005.
Challenges of Water Resource Management in Iran.
The Iranian Water Crisis.
Dams, Drought and Water Shortage in Today’s Iran.