Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday inaugurated a major infrastructure project designed to transport desalinated seawater from the Gulf of Oman to Isfahan province, a move aimed at easing chronic water shortages affecting key industrial centers in central Iran.

According to a statement from the president’s office, the 800-kilometer pipeline was completed after two years of construction at a cost of roughly 291.6 million US dollars, with significant financial and technical support from Isfahan-based Mobarakeh Steel Company, one of the country’s largest privately owned industrial firms.

The project is expected to significantly reduce reliance on the Zayandehrud River, once one of Iran’s most famous and life-sustaining waterways, which now runs largely dry for much of the year due to prolonged droughts and heavy upstream usage.

At the inauguration ceremony, President Pezeshkian expressed optimism that Iran could overcome its deepening water crisis through strategic infrastructure development and better resource management. He emphasized that future industrial expansion should increasingly shift toward Iran’s southern coastal regions, where direct access to the sea can reduce pressure on shrinking inland water resources.

Iran’s water crisis has become a growing national concern. A 2023 report by the World Resources Institute ranked Iran among the 25 countries facing “extremely high water stress” annually, highlighting the scale and urgency of the problem.

Experts attribute the worsening situation to a combination of factors, including severe and prolonged drought, poor water governance, aging infrastructure, and unsustainable agricultural practices that consume the vast majority of the country’s freshwater supplies.

Officials say the pipeline represents part of a broader national strategy to diversify water sources, protect critical rivers and aquifers, and secure long-term water supplies for industry without further damaging fragile ecosystems.

While environmentalists have welcomed efforts to relieve pressure on inland rivers, some have warned that large-scale desalination and long-distance water transfers must be carefully managed to avoid new environmental and economic challenges. (ILKHA)