The Ministry of Energy, which is in charge of water resources in Iran, has again admitted that the country is facing a catastrophic water shortage. “This year’s rainfall has been about 40 percent of last year’s, and this puts the availability of water supplies from dams at risk,” Deputy Energy Minister Sattar Mahmoudi said. He also urged all relevant companies to be more involved in “closer monitoring and better management” in the use of water. Earlier in December, the energy minister warned that “500 cities of the country are struggling with the shortage of drinking water.”
Comment:
Iran’s water shortage has been exacerbated in recent years due to prolonged drought in parts of the country. What is, however, also true is that the Iranian regime continues to deprioritize the serious environmental challenges the country faces while prioritizing to finance pet projects of the regime. These pet projects, such as an ambitious space program or intervening militarily in neighboring states such as Syria and Iraq, are widely seen by ordinary Iranians to negatively impact the quality of life for them at home.
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