TEHRAN – Iranian Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian met with some of the country’s well-known scientists, scholars and experts active in the field of energy on Wednesday to discuss various issues related to water as well as electricity sector, the portal of the ministry Paven reported.

During this meeting, Mehrabian proposed the establishment of a think tank between his ministry and the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology in order to explore issues related to various sectors including water, electricity, and energy economy.

In the meeting which was attended mainly by university professors, scholars, and scientific experts in the field of water, Mehrabian referred to the importance of the relationship between science institutions and industrial sectors, saying: “Executors should share their problems and challenges with experts to achieve ideal solutions.”

He called on scholars and university professors to be active participants in developing the country’s energy sector by providing effective and expert solutions and proposals for improving the mentioned fields.

"Fortunately, there are many common areas for cooperation between water and electricity fields, and we hope to see success in these fields with extensive cooperation between scholars," Mehrabian stressed.

The minister noted that the government will definitely be able to solve the problems in the field of water and electricity, saying: "Today water crisis is the country’s most important issue whose management has been put on the agenda of the parliament and the government and the allocation of an unprecedented portion of the next year’s budget bill to this issue is an indication of its importance.”

Pointing out that the increase in water demand indicates development in various fields, Mehrabian said: "Currently, the per capita rate of water consumption in Iran has increased drastically due to population increase and development of the society.”

He mentioned that the water crisis has three major aspects, including engineering, management, and economics, and said: “The issues related to the reforming and strengthening of the consumption management structure, infrastructure development as well as water economy should be considered and included in the future goals of the Energy Ministry.”

EF/MA