FAO and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) have released the report entitled More People, More Food, Worse Water? on behalf of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems.

Its aim is to flag the fact that agriculture causes more ecological damage in many countries than human settlements or industry.

“Industrial agriculture is among the leading causes of water pollution, especially in most high-income countries and many emerging economies, where it has overtaken contamination from settlements and industries as the major factor in the degradation of inland and coastal waters,” the report states.

Pesticide accumulation in water that is later carried down the food chain threatens human health, and has led to the widespread ban on certain pesticides, including DDT, a common insect control chemical once used in the United States until its cancellation in 1972. DDT was also banned in China in 1983, but is still used in India.

The report also adds that nitrate used in farming ranks among the most common contaminants found in groundwater aquifers. To tackle the problem, the report recommends a wider range of data-driven outcomes, including data collection that can help develop water quality models and produce better water policies.

Authors of report conclude that the report 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is designed to shape policies and strategies around the reduction of water pollution, in particular those that are based around SDG target 6.3. FAO launched the report at the High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action ‘Water for Sustainable Development’ 2018-2028 in June 2018 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

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The cities’ municipal water supplies have been affected by drought and a rise in salinity since December 2017. On 1 July, people took the streets in protests that sparked violent clashes with police forces involving gunfire that left more than 11 injured.

“Although Iran has a history of drought, over the last decade, it has experienced its most prolonged, extensive and severe drought in over 30 years,” the Food and Agriculture Organization, a United Nations agency, said in a recent report.

At the root of the problem lies broken water pipe infrastructure made worse by high temperatures. This has forced provincial water firm to source water from the Persian Gulf, a location fast becoming the cities’ only remaining water supply. Residents have complained that the water gives off an obnoxious odour, making it undrinkable.

The proposed resolution would involve instead transferring water from the Dez Dam to the Karkheh Dam close to Iran’s western border with Iraq.

Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian said this course of action would adhere to the framework of the Ghadir water project. The project was launched eight years ago to address the problem of a water shortage the surrounding regions of Khuzestan.

Iran has faced drought for more than 15 years through declining rainfall, rising temperatures and ineffective farming practices. Though recent protests concern the lack of access to clean water among urban residents, excessive consumption in cities as well as poor management of resources has been simultaneously linked to the national shortage.

Khuzestan governor-general, Gholamreza Shariati, has said bottled water continues to be provided to residents.

As well as agricultural practices, government officials have blamed the shortage on increased salinity caused by the rise in sea levels along the Persian Gulf.

Energy officials estimate Iran’s annual water deficit at about 5.7 billion cubic metres.

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