Iran is in “post-crisis mode” as it struggles to deal with a water scarcity problem that has already boiled over into protests, the former deputy head of the country’s environment department has warned.
As world leaders gathered in Glasgow for the Cop26 conference to discuss urgent action on climate change, Kaveh Madani told The National that Iran’s water problems have become so dire that its ecosystems are beyond saving. Over four decades, a surge in dam construction and increases in water-intensive mining and oil production have seriously depleted Iran’s water resources.
Mr Madani said decision makers have continued to put pressure on the country’s water system, leading to a situation where “the natural system will eventually collapse”. Across Iran, water scarcity is having a devastating impact on the country’s environmental riches and the lives of its people.
Violent protests broke out in the south-western region of Khuzestan in the summer when hundreds of farmers sought to draw attention to the severe water scarcity in the country. With water supplies already suffering from decades of mismanagement, a drought left people in the arid region unable to hydrate themselves or their crops. This has led to what Mr Madani calls “water bankruptcy”, a situation where the “total water consumption is much more than the renewable water. Bankruptcy is a post-crisis stage.”
Decision makers in Tehran, he said, can “no longer only focus on mitigating the problem because some of the damages to the ecosystem have become irreversible”. Instead, the government must accept failure and adapt to a "new normal", a new ecosystem, he said.
Lakes going dry
Over the past decade, Iran has seen some of its most famous lakes dry up. Lake Urmia, which is believed to have supported human life for around 9,000 years, and was once the largest saltwater lake in West Asia, has all but disappeared. By 2014 the lake had shrunk by up to 80 per cent, to just 1,000 square kilometres. Efforts to restore the river have largely been unsuccessful.
Zayandeh Rud, the river that flows through Iran’s ancient capital Isfahan — considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world — has also dried up.
About a third of Iran’s 24 most important wetland areas, home to hundreds of species of birds and vital for supporting biodiversity, are under threat or in critical condition, according to the UN Environment Programme. In areas like Sistan and Balochistan — as in Khuzestan — there are villages with no access to water. Efforts to restore these bodies of water have largely failed because aquifers — reserves of water that lie underground — have been depleted, said Mr Madani.
A water conservation expert, Mr Madani also served as the vice president of the UN Environmental Assembly Bureau. He left Iran in 2018 after the mass arrests of environmentalists.
While the lack of water is causing devastation, the government lacks the financial resources to mitigate the crisis. Despite some political will, including the creation of an environmental department in the government, Mr Madani said making long-lasting changes to climate policy is expensive. When countries go through crises, environmental policy is often the first thing to fall by the wayside. “Even in advanced economies, the environmental topic can get overshadowed by other issues, as when people are dealing with Covid-19, or economic hardship”, he said.
Mr Madani said governments are often trying to “prioritise the short-term problems and short-term satisfaction rather than focusing on what is good for the environment and for the nation in the long run.” This cycle often leads countries to implement unsustainable development in an effort to survive.
Iran’s fight for survival amid crippling US sanctions has been a double-edged sword for Iran’s environment. The country’s “whole development plan is water-dependent,” Mr Madani said, with key sectors including mining, farming and oil production all demanding water in large quantities.
Nearly two decades ago, before Iran began to face sanctions, its industrial and mining sectors used about 1.2 per cent of the country's yearly water supply. This number was set to double by this year. The increase in water usage and sanctions, along with the driest summer the country has faced in 50 years, made 2021 a particularly difficult year.
With US sanctions continuing to bite, Iran has decided to put further strain on its natural supplies, creating an unsustainable situation, he said, and with no end in sight to Iran's water crisis, the future of the country looks uncertain.
While Mr Madani does not believe water shortages always lead to war, he said an increase in regional tensions as water reserves decline in the Middle East is inevitable.
“Water can be used as political leverage to threaten or encourage cooperation between countries”, he said. Water, he added, is more likely to cause national security and economic issues within a country’s borders than increase the risk of open conflict.
Mr Madani cited Syria’s water shortages as an example of what can go wrong. “Droughts and decades of bad management of water systems triggered the loss of farmers' jobs, migration to cities, rising tensions and domestic war.”
Iran, he warned, is in a similar situation.
SPECS
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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The years Ramadan fell in May
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Du Plessis plans his retirement
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said on Friday the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia in two years' time will be his last.
Du Plessis, 34, who has led his country in two World T20 campaigns, in 2014 and 2016, is keen to play a third but will then step aside.
"The T20 World Cup in 2020 is something I'm really looking forward to. I think right now that will probably be the last tournament for me," he said in Brisbane ahead of a one-off T20 against Australia on Saturday.
Full list of Emmy 2020 nominations
LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Ramy Youssef, Ramy
LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
OUTSTANDING VARIETY/TALK SERIES
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Steve Carell, The Morning Show
Brian Cox, Succession
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession
LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Zendaya, Euphoria
OUTSTANDING REALITY/COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Masked Singer
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice
LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
Hugh Jackman, Bad Education
Paul Mescal, Normal People
Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True
LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Regina King, Watchmen
Octavia Spencer, Self Made
Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere
OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES
Little Fires Everywhere
Mrs. America
Unbelievable
Unorthodox
Watchmen
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dead to Me
The Good Place
Insecure
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Schitt’s Creek
What We Do In The Shadows
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
Killing Eve
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Stranger Things
Succession
Adele: The Stories Behind The Songs
Caroline Sullivan
Carlton Books
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
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Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
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Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
