Speaking in the 11th Iranian and 2nd Regional Tunneling Conference on Tuesday, Chitchian emphasized that given Iran’s limited water resources, the country has to transfer water from seas through tunnels.

“So far, 19 tunnels have been dug for the transfer of water in the country and they are operational now,” he said, adding that the tunnels’ overall length is about 192 kilometers.

“A project is under study with which we can desalinate water on the coasts of the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman and transfer it to 16 central provinces of the country and supply 47 million people with drinking water,” he said.

In recent years, private companies in Iran have worked on desalination projects, many of which have become operational.

The country is located in an arid zone, and some 65% of its territory has an arid or very arid climate, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Iran receives less than a third of the world’s average precipitation.