Is A Severe Lack Of Water The Forgotten Iranian Crisis?

Iran is a country that seldom produces good news stories. Attention in recent months has been focused on its conflict with Israel, the looming threat of more American military strikes and mass protests that have been met with severe force.

However, all of these stories focus on international political tensions and the apparent reaction of the populace to economic hardship and repression. They do not highlight the whole picture.

Why Is The Environment A Major Part Of The Iranian Crisis?

That is not to say there is some good news lurking; quite the opposite is true. Writing for The Conversation, Nima Shokri, a professor of applied engineering at the United Nations University, highlighted the oft-overlooked environmental side of the Iranian crisis.

He noted this has various manifestations:

•       Energy system failures
•       Land subsidence
•       Dangerously bad air quality
•       Serious water shortages

This is not to say these are unique problems in Iran. For example, poor air quality is a major issue in cities across Asia, with the 2024 AQI rankings indicating that the continent accounted for 23 of the 25 most polluted cities in the world, 13 of them in India.

Indeed, it may also be noted that India’s capital, Delhi, is not only one of the most polluted cities, but has also been ranked the most water stressed.

However, such rankings may not be completely reliable, as collecting data in Iran is problematic for obvious reasons. Moreover, as a fast-growing economy, India may be much better placed to develop infrastructure and engineering solutions.

How Bad Is The Water Problem In Iran?

The situation in Iran, as described by Professor Shokri, is worse, with taps running empty in the cities at night and farmers left despairing as lakes and rivers run dry. Desiccated river beds then feed dust storms as sediment is blown across the landscape.

Alongside this, a vast reduction in groundwater caused by water-intensive agriculture accounts for widespread subsidence issues, harming agricultural land and damaging buildings.

It is in these circumstances, he notes, that “grievance becomes protest”, suggesting that there is much more to the demonstrations than disagreements with the elements of the regime that the rest of the world hears about on the news.

He said this can be demonstrated by the fact that the biggest protests have predominantly taken place in the areas most affected by subsidence, water rationing and a collapse of groundwater ecosystems.

What Are the Root Causes Of Iran’s Water Stress?

The root causes are not just international sanctions, but mistaken priorities too, Professor Shokla states. These include:

•       Quick fix approaches to energy, economic challenges and national infrastructure that neglect the need for long-term development
•       Too much water-intensive agriculture, encouraged by cheap fuel
•       Weak domestic environmental agencies
•       Sanctions have restricted access to means of improving the situation, such as water efficiency measures

“Sanctions and climate stress amplified the problems, but the root cause lay in state priorities that have consistently ignored environmental security,” he asserted.

A question that may be asked is just how much relevance this has for business water customers in the UK.

Is the Iranian situation a perfect storm of climate change, poor government and international sanctions? Or are there wider lessons for UK commercial water suppliers?

The aforementioned fact that the most water stressed city is Delhi should be a sign that this is not just an Iranian problem, even if it is exacerbated by a combination of other factors. Half of the world’s 100 largest cities are in areas of high water stress.

How Can The UK Deal With Water Stress?

Because of the UK’s wetter climate, this should not be such a severe concern here. However, while the north and west of the UK remain reliably wet, the problem is growing in the south and east.

These regions have always had less rainfall, but a combination of climate change and population growth means the strain on existing sources is growing. The reliance on groundwater is high, but, as Iran has shown, excess use of this has dire consequences.

For these reasons, it is right that companies should ask what their suppliers are doing about the situation.

At the government level, there has been a focus on the planned construction of nine new reservoirs, which, not coincidentally, will be located in the south, east or Midlands, rather than the north. The last new reservoir to be completed began supplying water in 1992.

There has been more progress with some of these projects than others.

A statutory consultation recently concluded on the planned White Horse Reservoir in Oxfordshire, but Anglian Water’s plans for a new reservoir in the Fens face delays over tough questions about where the water to fill it will come from.

Britain certainly doesn’t face the level of problems Iran does, either over water supplies or other matters. But the issue of water stress is global and one that needs to be addressed in many countries. The UK is not immune to it.