The water shortage in Iran has reached a critical level. In 15 out of 31 provinces, not a single drop has fallen since the end of September, and the lack of precipitation already plagued the country in spring and summer.
According to the AP agency, Iran has experienced a sharp decrease in rainfall over the past five years. In Tehran, it rained 40% less than usual this year.
Water is also running out in the capital city of Tehran, where almost 10 million inhabitants have to face water shutdowns. The reservoirs have fallen to a historic low, which threatens the supply of drinking water and electricity production.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkyan has warned that Tehran could face severe water shortages and may even have to evacuate if it doesn’t rain soon.
Now the government is planning to cut off water supplies in order to limit its consumption. “We may have to reduce the water pressure to zero during some nights when residents are sleeping,” Energy Minister Abbas Ali Abadi said on state television.
The Lavasan River in the northeast of Tehran has almost dried up. Tehran’s water supply depends on five main dams, Lar, Mamlu, Amir Kabir, Taleqan and Latyan, the largest of which is Amir Kabir. According to the president, the water supply in the dams is the lowest in the last 60 years. Some dams are at less than 10% of their water capacity. Groundwater is also decreasing.
There are currently 14 million cubic meters of water in the Amír Kabír reservoir, which is only 8% of its capacity. A year ago, it still contained around 86 million cubic meters of water.
Residents of Tehran use about three million cubic meters of water per day. In recent days, the authorities have cut off the supply of this liquid in several parts of the city in order to save money, and in July and August they even declared two holidays in order to save water and energy.
