Resolving the Water Crisis Depends on Developing New Technologies and Reforming Consumption Patterns

The CEO of the Qom Province Water and Wastewater Company, stressing the need to leverage the capacity of universities and technology companies in water resource management, said: Overcoming the country's water challenges requires reforming water governance, developing new technologies, and increasing consumption efficiency.

According to Ambassador Arjan, Mehdi Nazarzadeh in the gathering of professors and technologists of Islamic Azad University, referring to the challenges in the country's water resources management, said: the continuation of water problems and crises shows that, in addition to technical and construction measures, more serious attention should be paid to the reform of management mechanisms, the elimination of inconsistencies between responsible institutions, and the effective use of scientific and technological capacities.

Referring to the indicators related to the status of Iran's water resources, he added: the increasing pressure on renewable water resources, the reduction of underground resources, the continuation of droughts and the pollution of water resources have doubled the need to review the methods of water management and consumption.

The CEO of Qom Province Water and Sewerage Company emphasized: In such a situation, relying on conventional solutions and only developing infrastructures, without simultaneously paying attention to demand management and increasing productivity, cannot answer all the existing challenges.

He considered the weakness of institutional coordination and the gap between scientific research and the decision-making and implementation process to be among the obstacles to improving water management and clarified: part of the country's scientific and technological capacities are not transformed into operational products and solutions; Therefore, creating effective communication between universities, research centers, technological companies and executive bodies should be prioritized.

Emphasizing the importance of new technologies in water resources management, Nazarzadeh pointed out: artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, smart consumption monitoring and control systems, new water treatment and recycling technologies, and the use of non-conventional sources are among the capacities that can play an effective role in improving productivity and reducing water loss.

He added: The realization of these capacities depends on the correct choice of technology, localization according to the needs of the country and providing the context for their practical implementation.

The CEO of Qom Province Water and Sewerage Company considered demand management as one of the main axes of facing water challenges and said: the development of consumption-reducing equipment, the use of smart systems, the use of rainwater for appropriate uses and water recycling in different sectors are among the solutions that should be considered along with water supply and distribution measures.

He also emphasized the necessity of removing barriers to the commercialization of technological achievements and added: supporting applied research, providing the necessary background for product development from the prototyping stage to mass production, standardizing equipment and creating incentives for investing in domestic technologies, can help the wider use of research results in the water and sewage industry.

Referring to the role of economic policies and regulations in water consumption management, Nazarzadeh said: reforming tariff mechanisms, developing standards related to consumption-reducing equipment, and designing suitable incentives for using optimization technologies should be followed simultaneously with public information and education.

He clarified: Education alone, without providing executive and motivational requirements, is not enough to create a sustainable change in consumer behavior.

In the end, the CEO of Qom Province Water and Sewerage Company considered the synergy between the academic sector and the water and sewage industry to be one of the requirements for improving the productivity of water resources and emphasized: Overcoming the country's water challenges requires an integrated approach in which governance reform, development of technologies suited to the country's needs, strengthening of applied research and optimal consumption management are pursued simultaneously.