Transferring Seawater to the Central Plateau Is Costly / Industries Should Be Located on the Coast

Head of the Water, Agriculture and Environment Affairs at the Plan and Budget Organization, stressing the need to revise the financing model for water transfer projects, said: High inflation, prolonged project implementation periods, and long-term guaranteed water purchase commitments have seriously challenged previous financial models, and alternatives should be carefully examined before imposing new commitments.

According to Ambassador Arjan, Mohammad Ebrahimnia, in the specialized meeting "Sea-oriented water and energy with sustainable development approach, sea-oriented economy and food security", referring to the water needs of industries and water transfer costs, added: In the conditions of high inflation, the financial estimates of the past are no longer necessarily responsive to today's conditions, and the economic model of the plans should be revised according to the actual costs of investment, energy supply and operation.

Pointing to the necessity of prioritizing water supply solutions, he added: before defining costly water transfer projects, capacities such as the use of wastewater, existing water sources, and renewable energies should be seriously examined. Meanwhile, underground water resources, deep water, solar energy, wind energy and sea water are all capacities that should be evaluated based on expert studies and economic and environmental considerations.

Criticizing the predominance of non-expert considerations in the formation of some large projects, Ebrahimnia said: expert costs and technical evaluations should not be ignored in front of political and executive decisions. It is necessary to modify the project definition process in such a way that the real need, economic justification, and long-term consequences are clear before the start of investment.

Transferring water to the central plateau is expensive

The head of water, agriculture and environment affairs of the country's planning and budget organization also emphasized the need to pay attention to the establishment of industries in coastal areas and said: transferring water from the sea to remote and high areas entails significant costs. Therefore, the establishment of industries in the vicinity of water sources, especially beaches, and the possibility of using local capacities should be considered in the framework of land use studies.

He mentioned the water supply plans of Sistan and Baluchistan and said: the implementation of water transfer plans and drilling of emergency wells for water supply in Zabul and Zahedan regions has brought significant investment. However, the limited durability of some resources and the costs of water supply and transportation show that emergency solutions cannot meet long-term needs alone.

The need to revise the financial models of water contracts

The head of water, agriculture and environment affairs of the country's planning and budget organization added: in the economic evaluation of water supply plans, in addition to the initial investment cost, energy costs, maintenance, replacement of resources and financial obligations of the future years should also be calculated. This issue is especially important in guaranteed water purchase contracts; Because an increase in inflation can significantly increase the cost of long-term obligations.

Emphasizing the necessity of reviewing the financial models for the guaranteed purchase of water, he pointed out: it is necessary for experts, universities, scientific associations and activists in the water field to present their suggestions about alternative models of financing and reducing the risk of long-term contracts in order to enable the government to make more accurate decisions.

At the end, Ebrahimnia emphasized the joint responsibility of the scientific community and executive bodies and said: Today's decisions about large water projects will have long-term effects on the country's economy, environment, and financial resources. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent unnecessary costs to future generations by strengthening expert studies, modifying decision-making patterns and examining all water supply options.