The President of Iran, Fatemeh Amuzad. In the background, the country’s capital, Tehran, which is facing the worst drought in decades
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared on Thursday that, if it does not rain soon, the country will have to move its capital to another location: “the reality is that we no longer have a choice; it is an obligation”. Tehran has been the seat of Persian power since 1786, but the prolonged drought
With around 9 million inhabitants and more than 15 million in the metropolitan area, the current capital of the country, Tehranthe third most populous city in the Middle East and the 23rd largest city in the world, currently faces the worst drought in recent decades.
A growing water scarcity which has been plaguing the region for months is caused, according to experts, by a combination of factors, including environmental changes, intensive industrial agriculture and unsustainable population growth.
Everything indicates that the crisis came to stay: millions of people are faced with dry taps, in a region that crosses the 6th consecutive year of drought — after what is now the hottest summer in 60 years.
According to the official Iranian agency IRNA, in a desperate attempt to induce the appearance of a few drops of rain, Iranian authorities began last week to spraying clouds with chemicals over the Lake Urmia basin — a process known as ““.
Urmia It is the largest lake in Iran, but it is practically dryleaving a vast crust of salt exposed. According to the same agency, new operations will be carried out in the provinces of East and West Azerbaijan. The rainfall is historic lows and the reservoirs are almost empty, note a: the water level in the Amirkabir dam in Tehran is rising 8% of capacity.
Last week, the president Masoud Pezeshkian warned that if it doesn’t rain soon, Tehran’s water could be rationed and the population may have to be evacuated of capital.
“When we said we had to move the capital, we didn’t even have enough budget. If we had, maybe it would already be done. The reality is that we no longer have a choice; It’s an obligation“, said Pezeshkian, recalling a notice he had left in early November. “Protecting the environment is not a joke. To ignore it is to sign our own destruction“.
Tehran has been the seat of Persian power since 1786chosen for its geographic location and access to important commercial routes.
Although several countries have changed their capitals for different reasons in recent decades, as is the case of Indonesia, which goes in the middle of a forest because, a forced transfer to avoid a water crisis is unprecedented in modern history.
In situations like this, populations do not suffer proportionately. As the Global Water Forum pointed out in 2022, urban populations of low incomes that bear the burden of water scarcity crises.
Although authorities have asked Iranians to reduce consumption by 20%, according to the water used by families represents only 8% of the total consumed in the country.
Even if the Iranian authorities move forward with moving the capital, it will likely be a process that will take years — and any relief resulting from a possible reduction in water consumption it will be too late.
