The country already has major water transfer projects moving 2,110 million cubic meters (557 billion gallons). Just two weeks ago, Iran began construction on a new $US 1.5 billion project that will transfer more water from the Caspian Sea.

Population growth and the uneven distribution of water in Iran will likely create chronic water shortages, according to a 2005 report by the National Research Council. The report also estimated that Iran’s annual average per capita volume of renewable water will drop from 2,000 cubic meters (528,000 gallons) to below 1,000 cubic meters (264,000 gallons) by 2025.

The map below shows Iran’s current water transport projects by volume and location, as well as what the water is being used for.

Source: National Research Council

Codi Yeager-Kozacek is a reporter for Circle of Blue based out of Enterprise, Alabama. She studied journalism and biology as an undergraduate at West Virginia University and graduated summa cum laude from the university’s Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism. She has done research at the College of the Bahamas Gerace Research Center on San Salvador Island, Bahamas, and her study on coastal dune plants is currently pending publication in the Bahamas Natural History Proceedings. Her interests include food security and ecology. She co-writes The Stream, Circle of Blue’s daily digest of international water news trends. Email: Codi Yeager-Kozacek  :: Follow on Twitter :: More Articles

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