Iranian authorities are planning to introduce regular shutdowns of water supplies in Tehran to limit its consumption. Iran is facing one of the worst droughts in decades, AFP reported on Saturday, writes TASR.
Energy Minister Abbas Aliábádí explained on state television that the shutdowns are to prevent water wastage, although he admitted that it will cause problems for the population and businesses.
Water supply restrictions
Several local media have already reported that in the Iranian metropolis with more than ten million inhabitants, there is already a restriction of water supply during the night.
Forbes magazine wrote that rivers in Iran are drying up and rainfall has reached record lows. The reservoirs supplying Tehran with water are currently filled to less than five percent of their capacity, and authorities have warned that the capital could run out of water within two weeks.
**Allegations against the neighbors**
Iran is currently facing its worst drought in 60 years. Some Iranians claim on social media that neighboring countries are “stealing” rain clouds.
Similar accusations were made some time ago by the Iranian authorities, who accused Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia of “deflecting clouds” from their territory.
Weather manipulation
An unnamed Iranian official even accused the United States and Israel of deliberately manipulating the weather to cause drought in Iran, Forbes added. However, the Iranian Meteorological Institute categorically rejected all these claims, saying that “stealing clouds or snow” is not possible.
Forbes added that since the start of the hydrological year in September, Iran has recorded just over two millimeters of rainfall – 75 percent less than the same period last year – with 21 provinces experiencing no rain at all.
Impact of climate change
Scientists attribute the decline in rainfall to a number of factors, including consecutive years of drought, as well as deforestation and drying up of wetlands, which reduces moisture in the atmosphere. In addition, the situation is aggravated by climate change and rising temperatures, which increase the rate of evaporation.
In an effort to address the water crisis, Iranian authorities have resorted to artificial rain-making, a weather modification technique in which particles such as silver iodide are dispersed into existing clouds around which water droplets cluster, increasing the likelihood of precipitation. However, for this method to work, the clouds must contain at least 50 percent moisture – which is increasingly rare in the dry climate of the Middle East.
**Artificial rain as a solution**
Artificial rainmaking is used in many countries around the world – China used it during the 2008 Beijing Olympics to regulate the weather, and India occasionally resorts to it to reduce smog.
Iran’s Energy Ministry announced that it had launched artificial induction operations in the fall, initially targeting the central part of the country, later expanding to other drought-stricken regions.
Uncertainty of results
However, according to studies, this method can have the opposite effect if the conditions are not suitable – the wind can easily blow away the clouds and the rain will eventually fall in another place. At the same time, experts in Iran’s water management say that this technique is unlikely to bring noticeable results because most of the clouds over the country do not have enough moisture.
Meanwhile, Iran’s environmental problems continue to worsen. In cities like Isfahan, schools, roads and monuments are in danger of collapsing due to land subsidence. Around Tehran, most of the dams supplying the city with drinking water are empty. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkiyan warned that in the coming months there may not only be restrictions on water supplies, but also evacuations of the population.
