“Water supply and transmission pipelines in the region stretches over 3,000 kilometers, of which 35% is old and should be replaced soon to cut the huge water loss as the province struggles with the worsening water crisis,” Asghar Riazati was quoted as saying by the Energy Ministry news website.
Daily water demand in the arid central region is close to 230,000 cubic meters, of which 120,000 cubic meters are extracted from depleting ground resources and the rest is piped from neighboring cities like Isfahan, he said.
“Per capita water consumption in Yazd with a population of around 900,000 is 200 liters. The region needs 180,000 cubic meters of water a day but gets 230,000, which means 50,000 cubic meters is wasted in the province where every drop counts.”
Non-revenue water refers to water produced and lost in different ways before it reaches the customer.
Yazd has a hot desert climate. It is the driest major city in Iran with a yearly precipitation of 80 millimeters in 30 days of precipitation, which is also the hottest city north of the Persian Gulf, with summer temperatures very frequently above 40 °C (104 °F) in blazing sunshine with no humidity.
This ancient land is one of Iran's centers for textiles and famous also for factories making ceramics and construction material.
It also is known for its forever water deficit and how for centuries its hardworking people have toiled to survive and make do with very limited water resources.
Industries are the biggest employers and main contributors to value added goods in the region.
Reclaimed Wastewater
In related news, the news portal quoted Mohammad Mehdi Javadianzadeh, managing director of Yazd Regional Water Company, as saying that work on a pipeline to supply reclaimed wastewater to industries in Yazd Province will be completed by next March.
“To balance groundwater in the Yazd-Ardakan plain, the Energy Ministry has given the regional water company authority to replace surface water and groundwater for industries with recycled water.”
In the past six months, negotiations have been held with Yazd Combined Cycle Power Plant, Iran Alloy Steel Company and Yazd Industrial Zone, and it was decided that a supply line for recycled wastewater be laid.
Javadianzadeh had earlier said that the provincial water company annually draws one million cubic meters from fast diminishing groundwater sources to supply industries in the central desert province.
Yazd Wastewater Treatment Plant has a capacity to treat 250 liters of sewage per second and expansion programs are underway to double this volume.
On average 44 million cubic meters of water is extracted from groundwater sources in the parched region every year, resulting in severe water deficits in most plains as underground water levels keep falling by 45 centimeters a year.
Most of the water is used in the agro sector.
Yazd Regional Water Company has taken measures to contain the worsening water crisis, namely by installing smart meters for water wells, restricting cultivation of water-intensive crops, improving farming methods, promoting drip irrigation and sealing illegal wells.