TEHRAN – The Department of Environment opposes any withdrawal from renewable or non-renewable fossil water resources until further notice, Mehr quoted DOE chief Isa Kalantari as saying on Monday.

Kalantari considered the lack of appropriate scientific knowledge and practical experiences regarding fossil waters – both domestically and internationally – and also, the potential negative effect of mere technical approaches on the environment – as has been proved in the past with projects like dam building and desalination – as the two main reasons behind this decision.

The country needs to place a primary focus on decreasing water usage and demand, rather than increasing the water supply through withdrawing water from new resources, emphasized the chief of environment.

Meanwhile, Kalantari called for more researches in this field to shed light on the possible environmental, economic and social consequences of removing fossil waters.

MAH/MQ/MG