There is an acute shortage of water in Tehran, the government warns of the risk of the city becoming uninhabitable. In addition to the drought, the crisis is exacerbated by long-term mismanagement.
Iran is facing its worst water shortage in decades, and according to its officials, the capital city of Tehran, with more than ten million inhabitants, may soon become uninhabitable if the drought continues, TASR reported, based on a Reuters report.
- Iran is facing severe water shortages due to prolonged drought.
- Tehran may be uninhabitable due to lack of water.
- The crisis stems from poor management and climate change.
- Residents of Tehran exceed the recommended daily water consumption.
- The drought in Iran may last at least until December.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkiyan warned that if the rain does not arrive by December, the people of Tehran will have to receive water rationing.
“Even if water was rationed, but it doesn’t rain, there won’t be any more water. Residents will have to leave Tehran,” Pezeshkiyan said a week ago.
Causes of the crisis
The crisis in Iran after an extremely hot summer is not only caused by low rainfall, writes Reuters. According to dozens of critics and experts who participated in panel discussions and debates in the media, decades of mismanagement, including excessive dam construction, illegal well drilling and inefficient agricultural practices, are also to be seen behind it.
Pezeshkiyan’s government attributes the crisis to several factors, especially “the policies of previous governments, climate change and excessive consumption.” Iran’s president already warned against wasting water in July, when authorities reported that 70 percent of Tehranis were consuming more than the standard amount of 130 liters per day.
Prolonged drought
According to the head of Iran’s water management research institute, last year’s rainfall was only 60 percent of the average for the past 57 years. However, according to forecasts, the drought should continue until the end of December.
In 2021, a water shortage sparked violent protests in Khuzestan province. In 2018, farmers also accused the government of poor water management at protests. Although no protests have yet been reported in connection with the current crisis, the poor economic situation in the country is weighing on the residents anyway, mainly as a result of sanctions for the controversial Iranian nuclear program, Reuters reminds.
