Due to years of mismanagement and overuse of water, Iran is now officially “water bankrupt"

It is alarming to see that due to years of mismanagement and overuse of water, Iran is now officially “water bankrupt”. According to Tehran’s environmental ministry, due to water shortage, has spurred several protests, violent acts and civilian unrest in the country.

Kaveh Madani, who is Iran’s former deputy environment minister, says that unfortunately, all sources of water are running dry, including rivers, reservoirs and groundwater. There is no point in blaming the people who have taken to the streets in Khuzestan Province since the shortage of clean water has made these people violent and angry. During these protests eight protesters have been killed and even a police officer.

On one hand, Iran is already struggling with a fifth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, and on another hand is busy rescuing a nuclear agreement that was once seen as economic salvation. This major water crisis has only burdened them. A protestor from the scene of the protest explained that they all kept shouting, they want water, just water, we don’t have water, but the police officials answered them with violence and bullets.

Large crowds in Khuzestan kept on shouting, ‘I am thirsty’. This was captured in videos and was shared across various social media platforms. Some protesters even extended their rage to denounce their supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Looking at the bigger picture, it could be seen that the entire system is only bankrupt. The availability of cheap fuel has proved to be more of a curse than a blessing in its effect on the water industry. With the cost of energy so low, cheap electricity has been used to pump huge amounts of groundwater to help expand the country’s agriculture sector. This new water issue comes at a prime time when it is just a few weeks before an ultraconservative new president and Khamenei 

Source: Iran is ‘water bankrupt’, says former regime environment official (arabnews.com)