Water Crisis and Food Security Challenges in Iran Amid Climate Change and Groundwater Dependence

Currently, Iran is not in a good condition in terms of hydrology and water resources, and we are facing a civilizational crisis. According to the latest third national census published by the Ministry of Energy in 2023, Iran has only 92 billion cubic meters of renewable water resources, while in previous decades these resources were 120 billion cubic meters.

In the past 4 decades, about 40 percent of the country’s needs were met through groundwater; however, according to the latest statistics, we currently depend on about 66 percent of groundwater resources, and unfortunately, despite all the investments made in the field of surface water and dam construction, only 34 percent of the country’s needs are met through surface water.

He noted: “Excessive extraction of groundwater has led to 409 of the country’s 609 plains being declared prohibited, and groundwater can no longer be extracted from them.”