Iran's president has warned that Tehran, a city of some 10 million people, may ultimately have to be evacuated as an unprecedented water crisis leaves the capital's reservoirs with only days of drinkable supply.
Tehran Reservoir Levels Plunge As Dams Run Dry
"Even if we do ration and it still does not rain, then we will have no water at all. They (citizens) have to evacuate Tehran," President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Nov. 6, according to Reuters. Local media reports estimate that the reservoirs feeding the capital now hold roughly nine days of drinking water at current usage rates.
Tehran relies on five main dams whose combined storage has fallen to about half of normal, with the key Amir Kabir reservoir down to roughly 8% of capacity. The crisis stretches well beyond the capital. Nationwide, 19 major dams, which account for around 10% of Iran's total dams, have effectively run dry, while water reserves serving the holy city of Mashhad, home to about 4 million people, have dropped below 3%, says Reuters.
Mismanagement Deepens Years-Long Drought Impact
Officials and experts say the emergency follows five years of severe drought but cannot be blamed on rainfall alone. Pezeshkian's government has cited "policies of past governments, climate change and over-consumption," while critics point to decades of mismanagement, including overbuilding dams, illegal wells and highly inefficient irrigation that allows agriculture to consume roughly 80–90% of Iran's water.
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In July, the president warned against waste and water authorities reported that about 70% of Tehran residents use more than the standard 130 liters a day.
Economic Strain And Water Cuts Raise Tensions
So far, there have been no major protests over the latest shortages, but officials acknowledge the political risk. Water scarcity helped trigger violent demonstrations in Khuzestan province in 2021 and earlier rural unrest in 2018, when farmers accused authorities of diverting and mismanaging supplies.
This time, many Iranians are already strained by a battered economy hit by U.S. sanctions and recent strikes on nuclear facilities, even as Tehran insists it is not seeking atomic weapons.
Iran's National Water and Wastewater Company has rejected reports of formal rationing but confirmed that water pressure is being reduced at night and can drop to zero in some districts.
Photo Courtesy: Dancing_Man on Shutterstock.com
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