TEHRAN – Transferring water from Sea of Oman to eastern drought-ridden provinces of the country will soon be implemented, Ahmad Ali Moohebati, governor-general of Sistan-Baluchestan province told ISNA on Monday.

A water transfer project has been proposed by the government which looked to Oman seawater quenching the thirst of the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, as well as eastern provinces of South Khorasan and Khorasan Razavi. A budget of $400 million was allocated by the government in March 2016.

The project aims to boost production, industry, and agriculture, as well as provide potable water to residents in arid areas.

Measures have been taken in recent years to implement water transfer to the eastern provinces of the country which will be implemented soon after studies and fund allocation, Moohebati stated.

Sea of Oman water desalination and transfer to arid provinces of Sistan-Baluchestan, South Khorasan and Khorasan Razavi can provide water for agriculture, as well as for water-intensive industries, he explained.

Once an efficient permanent solution, water supply schemes are now being considered as the main cause of environmental depletion haunting many parts of the country leading to dried up lakes and rivers, and poor water resources management resulting in excessive water withdrawal is also a major threat to the country’s future.

Experts believe that these projects entailing economic and environmental burden are no solution to droughts, and demanded the water transfer projects to be dismissed due to the irreparable damages to the environment namely deforestation, wildlife habitat destruction, biodiversity degradation, improper land change use, and contaminated seawater.

FB/MG