Finnish Water Forum (FWF) and the Center for Strategic Studies on Agriculture and Water affiliated to Iran Chamber of Commerce agreed on Wednesday to begin cooperation on Iran’s battle against the water crisis.
During a meeting between FWF Managing Director Topi Helle and Head of the Center for Strategic Studies on Agriculture and Water Mohammad Hossein Shariatmadar, the two explored sustainable solutions to the water problem.
Speaking during the meeting, which was held in cooperation with Iran-Finland Joint Chamber of Commerce, FWF chief said that Finland possesses the best water quality in the world which is highly due to the proper management of water swage coupled with having high-quality water resources.
Eighty-five percent of wastewater in Finland is treated and returned to the consumption cycle while an average 45 percent of the wastewater is treated globally, Helle said.
The Head of the Center for Strategic Studies on Agriculture and Water, for his part, said that water resources have been shrinking in Iran during the past 70 years. He said that one of the main reasons for this problems was that the country has been extracting water more than the capacity of the land.
“We have been trying to further involve people with the water issue and reduce the government's responsibility in this regard,” Shariatmadar said.
He noted that the center aims to make use of the capacities of all the scientific centers around the world to resolve Iran’s water crisis.
In the meantime, the head of the Finnish center referred to FWF’s successful experiences in helping the fight against drought in Vietnam, Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt and India, and agreed to begin cooperation with the Iranian private sector in this regard.