a scientific perspective on the water crisis of khuzestan province, july 2021

Khuzestan province (khp) the largest province in the western half of iran and the terminal drainage point of five basins was experienced a severe water crisis in july 2021 mainly arising from the lack of access to domestic and agricultural water. the experts present different points of view including managerial issues, long-period droughts and climate variability, human activities (frequent dam construction, inter-basin water transfer), and growth of population and water-intensive crops (rice and sugarcane are presented by the experts and media for drivers of this politically charged issue. the solutions adopted by the managers in such situations enriched by inconsistent information may not be a sustainable approach. this paper attempts to provide a scientific and unbiased perspective on the khp water crisis that occurred in the summer of 2021 based on accurate data and information that can help greatly the managers to adapt/change the new/current water policies. the analyses of this study indicated that several amendatory actions should be taken by policy-makers toward sustainable land and water management for this oil-rich region to reduce the impacts of water scarcity in the future.