Effects of Interbasin Water Transfer Projects on Iran's Water Resources

Increasing water shortage has become a serious issue nowadays, especially in arid regions. One of the solutions to cope with water shortage in populated areas is interbasin water transfer (IBWT). Transferring water from an area to another may solve the water shortage problem, increase economic growth and improve social welfare. However, socio-economic, environmental and ecological impacts should also be taken into account. In this study, the impacts of interbasin water transfer projects on the water quantity of Iranian basins and provinces were investigated. After an overview on operated and under construction IBWT projects in Iran, the rate of change in total water storage (TWS) of basins and provinces was calculated using the remote sensing data. The analysis of water shortage in Iran’s provinces demonstrates that the western provinces of Iran will suffer a serious water depletion in the future. Then, the estimated starting date of water resource usage above the precipitation amount was calculated for each province. Finally, a comparison was made between two states of implementing and not implementing IBWT projects and without these project in Iran was done in order to assess the impact of IBWT projects on TWS of provinces. The results showed that IBWT projects will shift water supply problems from central and eastern provinces to western and northern provinces.