A member of the executive board of the Supreme Provincial Councils said: South Khorasan is no longer merely facing water shortages; the situation has reached a critical stage.

Hossein Fanoodi, in an interview with ILNA news agency, noted that excessive extraction from underground water resources alongside a decrease in precipitation has led to a drop in aquifer levels, the expansion of land subsidence, and the intensification of livelihood problems and rural migration in this province.

He said that in the agricultural areas of South Khorasan, the level of groundwater has decreased by about one and a half to two meters, adding: Water delivery to around 400 villages is carried out by tanker.

A member of the executive board of the Supreme Provincial Councils also pointed to the destruction of agriculture and horticulture in the border areas of the province of Khorasan Razavi due to lack of water, describing this as the main factor behind the migration of border residents and the emptying of border villages, and stated that the continuation of current conditions could have social and even security consequences in the future.