The Head of Iran’s Department of Environment has issued a warning about the water resources for 14 cities across the country, adding that current conditions are also raising serious concerns about the water supply for the Capital. 
Masoumeh Ebtekar said in a meeting about urban conditions that climate change is a national and global concern, and a direct threat to social and economic growth.
She added that Iran is located in a geographic dry belt and there needs to be expert scientific management of current climatic changes in order to overcome the water shortage problems.
She reported that studies show that precipitation in Iran has steadily declined over the past 23 years.
She added that the Capital has been overpopulated for nearly 20 years. There are more that one thousand illegal industries in and around Tehran that are heavy contributors to the city’s pollution and decline in resources.
Ebtekar indicated that the administration has managed to enlist the cooperation of the judiciary in maintaining a series of protected areas that had been marked for development. She stressed that areas such as Lavasanat are the lungs of the city and must remain protected.
Ebtekar called on researchers and experts to forward their recommendations regarding the drying and drought problems across the country to the environment department.
