Tehran and Berlin Reach New Agreements on Water Management

A special meeting of senior executives of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety and Iran’s Energy Ministry examined the provisions of a water supply and sanitation MoU inked between the two countries, and began applying the necessary amendments.

Numerous provisions were included in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), including cooperation and exchange of information and knowledge in the field of legislation, water quality standards, wastewater flows, capacity development and environmental impacts on water and wastewater treatment. They also included other issues, such as cooperation and information exchange in various water fields, including economic and social issues and the issue of public participation.

Other aspects of the contract pertained to the exchange of experience in the field of good water management and integrated water resource management, the promotion and implementation of water resource management in watersheds through the transfer of knowledge, as well as the goals and duties of river basin organizations (RBOs).

The deal also covered issues like water conflict management in different sectors (households, agriculture, environment and industry), infrastructure and smart technologies for water supply, aquifer feeding management and promotion of public-private partnerships in the water sector between the two countries.

The provisions of the MoU for the water supply and sanitation sector have been compiled and will be signed by the finance ministers of Iran and Germany in the near future.