South Khorasan experiencing severe land subsidence

IRNA news agency reported that South Khorasan Province has entered a state of "water bankruptcy" due to intensified land subsidence caused by excessive extraction of groundwater—a situation resulting from decades of over-extraction beyond the capacity of groundwater resources and continued drought. According to the report, the director general of meteorology in South Khorasan announced that over 73 percent of the province's area is affected by severe drought. The CEO of the province's regional water company also warned that South Khorasan has reached a "critical crisis" or "water red line" phase, with annually extracted groundwater equivalent to 130 percent of water inflow into underground aquifers—a figure demonstrating extraction beyond the aquifers' renewable capacity. According to IRNA's report, the cumulative deficit of South Khorasan's groundwater resources over the past 30 years has reached approximately 4 billion and 200 million cubic meters, a trend that—in addition to intensifying land subsidence—has faced the province's water sustainability and water security with serious threats. The report further adds that currently, on average, over 400 villages with a population of approximately 45,000 people receive water supplies via tanker trucks.