Tehran, Iran – Tehran is facing the largest water crisis in its history, endangering the lives of over 10 million residents of the capital and its suburbs. Already reduced by half, the situation is growing so fast that the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian made a stark statement that people have to be ready to leave the city in case the rains do not arrive in the near future.
A catastrophic combination of six-year drought and long-term low rainfall is the cause of the crisis. Rainfall in Iran has dropped by 86 percent this year alone. Only one millimeter of rain has fallen on the city this season, the lowest amount in a century.
Dams Nearing Empty
The capital water supplying dams, such as Karaj, Latian, Lar, Mamlo, and Taleghan, are at their lowest level in 60 years. These vital reservoirs might continue to dry up in a few weeks unless the current state of drought is mitigated, according to the officials. The same case applies nationwide, with 19 large dams nearly drying up. Even big religious cities such as Mashhad are living on just a few percent of their usual water sources.
Residents are already experiencing the immediate effect. The pressure of water has already been considerably decreased in most districts, and the shutting down at night of water supplies in parts of eastern Tehran is in progress. This growing public concern is timed against a backdrop of economic hardship and international sanctions, which already put the lives of millions of Iranians under strain every day.
President Issues Evacuation Warning
President Masoud Pezeshkian warned the nation on November 6 in a speech that the government will be forced to begin formally distributing water in Tehran if there is no rainfall by December. He encouraged the citizens to prepare now, cautioning them to prepare to evacuate the capital if the situation does not improve.
The government is now concerned with short-term solutions, such as decreasing water pressure, transferring water to smaller ponds, and instructing people to install water-saving appliances. But analysts are unanimous in their evaluation that these measures are only temporary.
Deep Roots of the Disaster
Although climate change and unprecedented temperatures, hitting as high as 50 degrees Celsius in regions, leading to the substantial depletion of groundwater, are significant contributors, specialists note that the causes of the problem go much deeper.
They blame the mismanagement over decades, improper planning of infrastructures, overbuilding of dams, uncontrolled drilling of illegal tubewells, and ineffective agricultural mechanisms that have destroyed the water resources of the country.
This policy failure, combined with the immediate crisis, has resulted in increased pressure on the government. Water crises have been the source of widespread demonstrations, especially in the south, and people fear that the worsening crisis will cause major popular upheavals.
