Karaj Dam in Iran
“Unsustainable development has increased the country’s water demand to a maximum level, causing the water level of underground resources sink to its lowest level – from 50 meters to 300 meters,” according to the general director of Iran’s Meteorological Organization, Parviz Rezazadeh. According to an Iranian report from 2008, “per capita water quota will be below 1,000 cubic meters by 2050.” Iran has a wide range of climates by region, and an unevenly distributed population, creating additional problems around the issue of water distribution. About half of the population lives in regions that contain over 70% of the water resources, in the north and west. The stress on adequate renewable sources of water is made worse by Iran’s growing population. Continued stress on underground sources of water threaten to eliminate their very availability, and a little over half of the country’s water needs were estimated to be met through the use of these aquifers (same source as above).
The above tables and image are from a 2005 report written by Kaveh Madani Larijani.
The U.S. military, during World War II, printed a series of pocket books for its fighting troops. These booklets, each specific to a country, give pointers on how to behave when in the stationed nation, what some of the overall objectives are, and gives cultural guideposts that may be used to navigate a foreign terrain.
A collection of this books is available at the Southern Methodist University digital collection in the US.
The Pocket Guide to Iran can be viewed on this site as a PDF.
Here are some excerpts from the guide:
You’ve heard a lot of talk in this war about life lines — the sea lanes and the land routes by which military supplies flow into the combat zones to be turned against the enemy. Iran is much more than a life line. It is a major source of power that keeps the United Nations’ military machine turning over — oil.
Because of its prime strategic value, Iran is the only country in the world where the armies of the United Nations — Great Britain, Russia, and the United States — are operating in daily touch with each other. (from pages 1 to 2)
A great deal of our success or failure may depend on whether the Iranis like us. If they like us, they can help us in countless ways. If they don’t, they can cause trouble. If they are doubtful, your friendly acts may win their confidence. (from page 8)
