TEHRAN - Mohammad-Baqer Nobakht, head of the Management and Planning Organization, has said that Iran’s population will hit a record of 84 million by the end of the sixth five-year development plan, Tasnim reported on Sunday.

To achieve the goal, a birth rate of 2.1 percent has been forecast, taking into account a proportionate economic growth, Nobakht said in a gathering on Saturday night attended by President Rouhani and lawmakers-elect.

Since 1988, Iran has been implementing five five-development plans, with the sixth version slated for 2015-2020, though it is scheduled to start in March 2016 as the economic plan is still under study by the parliament.

Whereas the country has been among the youngest in the world, Iranian officials have expressed concerns over the population turning older. 

A distinction of the sixth development plan is its knowledge-based orientation with a focus on resistance economy, constructive interaction with the world, as well as the Iranian-Islamic culture, Nobakht noted.

---Water crisis, a major challenge

Elsewhere, Nobakht reminded the importance of managing water resources, saying, “We run into crisis if the water issue goes unnoticed. The environmental challenge, like what happened to Hamoun wetlands and Lake Urmia, is a reality in need of addressing.”

Low precipitations, inter alia, over the past years have resulted in wetlands and local lakes drying up in Iran. 
Many cities are already grappling with the challenge, with little done over the past years to lessen consequences.

Speaking to the same gathering, President Rouhani also underlined the issue, speaking of a water agenda being followed by the administration.

AK/PA