20 to 25 percent reduction in renewable water resources, 93 percent extraction from these resources, and inefficient consumption in agriculture and industry have caused extreme crisis across the country. Water auditing and data transparency are the solutions to overcoming this crisis and building a sustainable future.

Iran, a land with a history of several thousand years, has always struggled with water scarcity and has been a pioneer in its management; from the amazing Qanats of Yazd and Kerman to traditional and accurate water distribution in agricultural areas.

Iranians learnt that the survival of this land depends on respect and accuracy in water consumption. Although, in the process of modern development, the environmental capacities of the country were ignored; unplanned development, sectoral decisions, and neglecting climatic realities caused to face one of the most complex national crises today: the water crisis.

The estimation of the country’s renewable water resources in the 1990’s were around 130 billion cubic Meters, but this figure has now decreased to about 100 to 110 billion cubic meters; this means a decline of 20 to 25 percent in less than three decades, and the extraction rate from renewable resources in Iran has exceeded 90 percent.

‎ Harvesting of less than ‎‎20‎‎ percent are a ‎‎sign of stability, ‎‎20‎‎ ‎‎to ‎‎40‎‎ ‎‎percent are in the warning zone, and above ‎‎40‎‎ ‎‎percent enter a critical stage, according to international standards.‎

‎ Iran with a ratio‎‎ of ‎‎93‎‎ ‎‎The percentage is among the few countries that are in the super-critical range.In order to compare, Germany ‎‎harvests only ‎‎13‎‎% of its renewable resources, Turkey about ‎‎20‎‎%, ‎‎Saudi Arabia with all its massive investments in desalination ‎‎80‎‎%, ‎‎and Egypt even ‎‎120‎‎%, which practically means a heavy dependence on virtual ‎‎water‎‎ imports‎‎.‎

‎One of the main consumers in the ‎‎water‎‎ crisis in Iran is the agricultural sector. This sector consumes more than ‎‎85‎‎ ‎‎percent of the country's ‎‎water‎‎; in some years, this figure ‎‎ has increased to ‎‎90‎‎ ‎‎percent. While the global average of ‎‎water‎‎ consumption in agriculture is about 70 percent, developed countries have decreased this share to 30-40 percent.‎

At the same time, although industry ‎‎ consumes only ‎‎7‎‎ ‎‎to ‎‎8‎‎ ‎‎percent of the country's total ‎‎water‎‎, its environmental impacts, especially in Water-scarce areas, are beyond its numerical share.‎

‎ Water-intensive industries, especially mining and steel industries, are located in areas with high water stress, without effective recycling in ‎‎water‎‎ consumption.‎

‎ In some of the country's mining and steel complexes, ‎‎water‎‎ consumption per ton of is up to five times higher than the global average. Equipment wear, lack of modern technologies, and incorrect placement, have turned these industries into unsustainable consumers‎‎.‎

‎ ‎Subsidence, dry wells and water that are more expensive than the production

‎The ‎‎consequences of this situation can be clearly seen in land subsidence and decline in the level of underground aquifers. So far‎‎, land subsidence recorded in more than 60 plains of the country and in areas such as southern Tehran, Isfahan, Varamin, and Khorasan, the annual rate of subsidence ‎‎ reaches ‎‎20‎‎ ‎‎to ‎‎30‎‎ ‎‎centimeters. In Europe, this figure is usually less than ‎‎2‎‎ ‎‎centimeters per year.‎

‎ In addition, in more than ‎‎400‎‎ ‎‎study areas of the country, the ‎‎water‎‎ level of groundwater aquifers faces a permanent decline and half of the country's authorized wells are either dehydrated or completely dry‎‎.‎

‎ A thought-provoking point is that policymakers focus on ‎‎water‎‎ supply instead of correcting the consumption. ‎

‎ The massive desalination ‎‎projects in the‎‎ Persian Gulf and its transfer to the central plateau, Although are technically significant but the actual cost of this ‎‎water‎‎ is very high. ‎

‎ ‎‎ Each cubic meter of ‎‎desalinated water‎‎ from the sea costs between ‎‎3.5‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎and ‎‎ 7 euros. These figures include desalination, energy, transmission, evaporation, storage, and infrastructure. However, this expensive water, without reforming the consumption system, without reforming the consumption system, it enters a cycle of low productivity and waste prevail.

‎ To clarify the matter, a look at the economic yield of agricultural products is thought-provoking.

The production of one kilogram of barley requires about ‎‎1.2‎‎ ‎‎cubic meters of ‎‎water‎‎, ‎‎ and the price per kilogram is about ‎‎14,000‎‎ ‎‎tomans. Alfalfa production ‎‎ consumes ‎‎0.8‎‎ ‎‎cubic meters of ‎‎water‎‎ ‎‎ per kilogram, ‎‎but its price is often below ‎‎10,000 tomans,‎‎ ‎‎In other words, in some parts of the country, ‎‎water‎‎ at a cost ‎‎ of ‎‎300‎‎ ‎‎to ‎‎500‎‎ ‎‎thousand tomans per cubic meter is spent on the production of products whose economic value is less than ‎‎5‎‎ ‎‎percent of this cost. This is the same value and cost gap that has caused the management of the country's water resources to face a double crisis‎‎.

A Way to Overcome the Common Crisis‎/ Water Audit

‎The only way out of this situation is to review&revise our approaches and move towards participatory and data-driven governance. The solution is not in the launching of costly projects, but in the implementation of ‎‎water‎‎ audits, i.e., accurate, systematic and quantitative measurement of the real patterns of ‎‎water‎‎ consumption in all sectors. Without audits, we do not have a clear image of consumption, nor is it possible to make a fair and effective policy‎‎.‎

‎In the agricultural sector, auditing can be done with soil moisture sensors, smart counters of wells, satellite images of green surface monitoring, and analysis of meteorological data and agricultural yield. In industry, auditing includes monitoring of production lines, accurate measurement of consumption per product, analysis of non-recycling points, and preparation of digital reports for ranking units. Such infrastructure not only reduces ‎‎water‎‎ consumption but also economic productivity and competitiveness of industries‎‎.‎

No doubt, auditing will be ineffective without transparency. All authorities, including the government, private sector, farmers, and policy-making institutions, should be able to access the accurate, up-to-date, and analyzable data on water consumption.

Data transparency is the basis of any structural reform.

What we need today more than ever is not to find someone to blame, but to move toward cooperation based on trust and awareness. Water is not just the source of life; it is the basis of civilization, justice, and foresight. Our crisis is not only water scarcity; it is a crisis of ignorance, disorder, and lack of coordination. We still do not know where, how much, and in what way water is being consumed, and this is the greatest obstacle to reform.

It should be noted that water auditing is the backbone of any long-term planning. We are the inheritors of a land who distributed water with precision and respect.

If we want to build a sustainable future, we must continue on the same path with today's tools: with technology, with transparency, and with the understanding that no sector – not agriculture, not industry, and not the government – will be able to overcome the crisis alone. The way to salvation is a common path, and its starting point is an accurate understanding of the facts.