Due to the alarming shortage of water in many parts of Iran, particularly the southern parts of the country, the government should declare a state of emergency to counter the consequences of the dry spell that is currently affecting those areas.
The Majlis recently approved an emergency aid package worth over Rls.1.5 trillion ($180 million) for farmers hit by the serious drought in southern and eastern parts of the country.
But the money is not enough to solve the serious problems caused by the drought, and the government should take more serious measures to address these problems.
The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) yesterday reported that residents of a drought-stricken, citrus-growing area in southern Iran abandoned their farms after the wells dried up.
The 40 families, from six villages in the Jiroft area of Kerman Province, have moved elsewhere, the agency said, adding that almost all the wells in the area are dry.
According to some UN experts who have evaluated the conditions, the drought is about to become an immense catastrophe. Thus, the government should make every effort to extend emergency aid to the areas that have been affected by the unprecedented drought for almost two years now.
Nearly 25 of the 28 Iranian provinces have been affected by the drought, which has left 12 million people in both rural and urban areas without adequate drinking water. Supplying water to these areas through whatever means possible should be high on he agenda of the government officials.
The government should also anticipate the water shortage in large cities like Tehran, where the problem is not so serious now, and take some precautionary measures like water rationing and giving warnings to extravagant consumers to prevent the water shortage problem in these cities.