TEHRAN – Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian has said that a new bill is going to be drafted for the country’s “Law of Fair Water Distribution,” to ensure the protection of the country's water resources, the ministry portal PAVEN reported.

Speaking to the national TV, Ardakanian said: “This year, we intend to draft a new bill for the comprehensive water law [Law of Fair Water Distribution], which is more based on sustainable use and protection of resources. We are also going to do a great deal of work on updating water data so that our future planning will be based on accurate and precise data.”

“Due to the decrease in rainfall in the country, it is necessary to come up with a new long-term plan based on the current conditions for the coming years and decades, and therefore, with the participation of government organizations, as well as universities and the Parliament Research Center, we started a research project on water and water resources protection,” the minister explained.

The official noted that considering the country’s current water situation, the Energy Ministry has also had a structural reform in the water management, part of which including the integration of urban and rural water and wastewater companies in the provinces has been implemented.

“This has accelerated the implementation of projects by consolidating technical, financial, and human resources,” Ardakanian said.

Regarding the possibility of monitoring water resources and consumption in different parts of the country, Ardakanian said: "Naturally, monitoring water consumption is not possible as much as the control we have over the monitoring of electricity consumption, but the main thing in this field is to develop an assessment program based on water resources and ecosystem capacities of each region.”

In early June, Deputy Energy Minister for Water and Wastewater Affairs Ghasem Taqizadeh Khamesi had announced that Water consumption in Iran increased by 35 percent following the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Regarding the water storage of the country's dams, the deputy minister said: "This year, although the rainfalls across the country decreased by about seven percent compared to the previous year, water reserves are in a good condition."

Khamsi expressed hope that following the Energy Ministry’s planning and measures, and the cooperation of citizens in optimizing water consumption, there won’t be a shortage of drinking water in different provinces of the country during summer.

EF/MA