TEHRAN – The desert city of Yazd in central Iran played host to Water Thanksgiving Festival, aiming to promote the culture of saving water resources in the country.

The event which was held from July 20-22 also aimed to improve water consumption and management patterns and introduce exemplary water preservation models in the household, agriculture, and industry sectors.

Iran experiences frequent droughts and faces the prospect of more extreme conditions brought about by climate change.

Drought, low rainfall, and then water shortage is the problem of many countries, especially Iran, which is also located in an arid region.

Since ancient times, Iran has been constantly struggling with water shortage, which caused the creation of qanats, so that people actually accepted that water is scarce in the country.

But for several years, along with the industrial and agricultural development, it seems that the available water resources have been used unbridled, and the result is being on the verge of a water crisis.

The amount of rainfall in Iran's main river basins from September 2020 to July 2021 was, in most places, substantially lower compared with the year-earlier period. Iran experiences frequent droughts and faces the prospect of more extreme conditions brought about by climate change.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society estimates that 4.8 million people are at medium to high risk of drought-related impacts.

MG