TEHRAN Managing Director of the Water and Sewage Organization of Tehran Province, Sattar Mahmoudi, said here Sunday that the company has utilized all available means to continue supplying quality water to its subscribers in this megapolis, but stressed that the water crisis faced by the country requires the cooperation of all. Welcoming the current scheme of cutting water supply one-day each week for each of the designated districts, Mahmoudi said that people must still heed the call of the Water and Sewerage Organization to economize in the use of water all throughout the year and not just in one day. The official put current reserves of dams supplying water to Tehran, including Karaj, Laar and Latian, at 71 million cubic meters. The figure was placed at 230 million cubic meters last year. He said that with diminishing water supply entering the dam's reservoirs, the situation could become worse as the fall season approaches. Iran, experiencing its third successive year of drought, has rationed water in major cities in southern, eastern and central provinces of Sistan-Baluchestan, Isfahan, Fars, Bushehr, Kerman, Khorasan and Tehran. A UN official recently said that Iran is worst hit by the drought in the region, adding its effects were far destructive than the previous years. Reserves in three dams that provide 60 percent of Tehran's supply have sunk to dangerously low levels. The total renewable subterranean water resources have been registered at 130 billion cubic meters. Measures have been taken in several provinces to adopt water-shed management systems and supply required drinking water in those provinces within the framework of Iran's anti-drought campaign. Some 27 percent of the country's drinking water is wasted through improper consumption and distribution patterns. Some 90 percent of the country's water supplies are used in the agriculture sector which produces less than half a kilogram of crop using one cubic meter of water, whereas in developed countries 2kg of crop are produced with the same amount of water. Given the rate of growth of water consumption in household, industrial and agricultural sectors exploitation of subterranean reserves has gained momentum. Only 23 subterranean canals out of the existing number of 286 in Tehran can be exploited to deal with water shortage and operations would be launched in this connection this year despite the heavy costs. The level of water reservoirs supplying water to the capital has sharply dropped by 200 million cubic meters in the current Iranian calendar year. Officials have said they would begin fining citizens who consume more than 20 cubic meters (20,000 liters) of water per month, as of June 22. Mahmoudi said that in order to eliminate water shortage in Tehran, a list has been prepared of all the existing deep wells and subterranean canals with proper quality in the megalopolis. Deputy Interior Minister for Coordination of Development Affairs Ahmad Khorram said recently that some 65 dams are being built across the country to preserve the surface water resources. Studies are underway on projects to build 121 more dams, he said, adding that the dam-building is of prime importance in Iran due to the fact that it is situated in a semi-desert climatic conditions.