Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 20
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Total precipitation volume in Iran has reached 20.271 billion cubic meters during the current crop year (started on September 22).
Iran has experienced 12.3 millimeters of precipitation from the beginning of the current crop year, which indicates a 53.6 percent decline compared to the long-term average precipitation, Iran’s energy ministry reported Nov. 20.
Compared to the same period of the last crop year, total precipitation in Iran indicates a fall by 1.6 percent.
The highest rainfall was registered in Caspian Sea catchment with 86.1 millimeters of precipitation, followed by Lake Urmia catchment (30.2 millimeters), Karakum (3 millimeters), Persian Gulf and Oman Sea (2.6 millimeters), Central plateau (2.6 millimeters) and East (0.3 millimeters) catchments.
The Islamic Republic is located in an arid zone and the country is facing a serious water shortage crisis.
However, many experts believe that the current water shortage is a result of mismanagement of water resources, rather than drought.
Iran's total annual water consumption is approximately 93 billion cubic meters, out of which about 92 percent is used in agriculture (86 billion cubic meters), 6.6 percent in municipality (6.18 billion cubic meters), and 1.2 percent in industry (1.12 billion cubic meters), according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
Up to 70 percent of water used in the agriculture sector is being wasted, Iranian officials say.
