Iran's state news agency IRNA reported that South Khorasan province has entered a 'water bankruptcy' crisis, with over 73% of its territory under severe drought. The regional water company director warned that annual groundwater extraction exceeds recharge by 30%, and the cumulative deficit over 30 years has reached 4.2 billion cubic meters, accelerating land subsidence. More than 400 villages, home to some 45,000 residents, depend on water tankers.
The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported on Saturday evening that South Khorasan province has entered a state of 'water bankruptcy,' warning that decades of groundwater over-extraction and persistent drought have pushed the region into a 'super-crisis.' According to IRNA, over 73% of the province is experiencing severe drought. The director of the regional water company stated that annual groundwater extraction stands at 130% of the natural recharge rate, meaning the aquifers are being depleted far faster than they can replenish. The cumulative groundwater deficit over the past three decades has reached 4.2 billion cubic meters, accelerating land subsidence and threatening the region's food security. More than 400 villages, home to approximately 45,000 residents, now rely on water supplied by tanker trucks.
The report adds to a growing body of coverage of Iran's intensifying water crisis. The Zioneer has previously reported on warnings from the chairman of the Iran Water Industry Association about a deepening crisis and a 15-billion-cubic-meter deficit in central Iran, on Tehran's water utility warning of a 200-million-cubic-meter shortfall, and on data showing that Iran's per capita renewable water supply has dropped nearly sixfold over seven decades. The situation in South Khorasan, a largely arid province bordering Afghanistan, underscores the severity of the challenge facing Iran's water management system, with more than 30 years of unsustainable extraction driving the region to the brink of irreversible depletion.
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