TEHRAN -- With an unprecedented decline in rainfall, severe drops in dam levels, and diminished underground water, Iran entered its fifth consecutive year of drought. Some areas in Tehran are experiencing water cuts of up to 12 hours. The situation is exacerbated by climate change, which is caused by global warming.

July 23 was declared a public holiday in Tehran to save electricity and water. Iran is experiencing the hottest week of the year, with temperatures exceeding 50 °C in some regions.

One of the few places to cool down was the swimming pools. The Water and Wastewater Company of Tehran announced on Wednesday (July 24) that the provision of water to public and private swimming pools in the city will be halted until further notice. As a result, the city’s swimming pools will remain closed.

During a cabinet meeting on July 20, President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a stark warning: “The water crisis is more serious than what is being discussed today, and if we do not take urgent action now, we will face a situation in the future for which no remedy can be found.” He added that “in the water sector, beyond management and planning, we also need to address excessive consumption.”

Last year, Pezeshkian called for the relocation of Iran’s political and economic center away from Tehran, citing the capital’s mounting environmental and infrastructural challenges.

For water resources, Iran primarily relies on a combination of surface water from rivers and streams, groundwater from aquifers, and, increasingly, desalinated water from coastal regions. Traditional methods like qantas (underground water channels) also play a role, particularly in rural areas. Uneven precipitation adds to the challenge.

According to some estimates, the ground beneath Tehran sinks by up to 22 centimeters every year due to acute water shortage. The main reason is water subsidence is over-extraction of groundwater.

Looking ahead, there are no easy solutions. A good place to start is increasing awareness among the general public to reduce wastage and excessive consumption of the precious resource. Patterns of water usage can be changed if the general public’s awareness is increased. Tehran’s per capita water consumption exceeds national standards, with most usage concentrated in drinking and hygiene.

Population growth

Unchecked population growth in Iran is another factor. Iran’s population more than doubled in forty years, from 37 million to 80 million.

Although water shortage is a general problem in Iran but the situation is acute in Tehran. With a population of two million in 1979, today the larger Tehran metropolitan area has 16.8 million residents. Tehran is the most populous city in Iran and Western Asia. 

Tehran’s five main water reservoirs are Lar, Latyan, Mamlou, Taleghan, and Amir Kabir (Karaj) dams. These reservoirs play a crucial role in supplying water to Tehran.

The Amir Kabir Dam, which passes through the Karaj River, has shrunk to the lowest level in history to 22.09 billion cubic meters, a spokesman of the Iranian Water Resources Management Company, Isa Bozorgzadeh, was quoted recently. The concrete dam, 30 km northwest of the capital, was built in 1961 to supply Tehran with water and electricity.

Latyan Dam is a buttress dam located less than 25 km from Tehran, south of the city of Lavasan. Constructed between 1963 and 1967, it is one of the main sources of water and electricity for Tehran. With a capacity of 95 million cubic meters, the dam has been operational since 1967.

Seventy percent of Tehran’s water comes from five nearby dams, including Amir Kabir and Latyan. According to the state media reports, as of March 5, the reservoirs are only 13 percent full.

A look back five years ago, in May of 2019, Mehr news agency reported that Amir Kabir Dam was 93 percent full, an increase of four percent compared to the year before. The significant improvements were attributed to the exceptional water torrents that spring, which covered almost all provinces after six decades.

Unfortunately, this year's water shortage has also been due to the low precipitation, which the Ministry of Energy has said barely reached 93.8mm from early October to mid-March, a dramatic shortfall from the national average of 157.8mm, a 60 percent reduction.

Water scarcity, desertification, and extreme weather events like dust storms, floods, drying up of lakes, and wetlands have caused internal displacement, forcing many people to leave their homes and migrate to other regions, including the northern provinces and cities around Tehran.

Three-quarters of Iran’s total landmass is considered completely dry. Only seven percent of Iran’s total landmass is covered by forest. A significant portion of these forests is located in the northern region along the Caspian Sea. The green pastures of the north and its abundance of water due to the proximity to the Caspian Sea have attracted many climate migrants.

Solutions

There are no easy solutions for an arid country like Iran. Long-term solutions will require a combination of technological, infrastructural, and policy changes.

Energy Minister Abbas Ali-Abadi announced last week that negotiations to import water were underway with Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Earlier Ali-Abadi outlined efforts to address water security in the province of Sistan-Baluchestan by pursuing to secure water rights to Hirmand River by pursuing diplomatic collaboration with neighboring Afghanistan. The Hirmand River is shared by Iran and Afghanistan and is a vital water source in the region. 

In 1973, the two nations agreed that Afghanistan would allow a flow of 26 cubic meters per second – equivalent of 820 million cubic meters annually – into Iran. However, due to political upheavals, including a 1973 coup in Afghanistan, the agreement was not fully implemented.

Another suggestion on the table is the relocation of the agricultural and industrial sectors, along with the capital. This may not be a long-term solution because relocation itself consumes water and resources.

Modernization of agriculture, which uses 90 percent of Iran’s water resources, is a good place to start. Implementing water-saving technologies and a better management system of water allocation in this sector is a good investment, replacing aging infrastructure and water leakage. This will also help in water conservation.

Although a record-breaking heatwave has plagued the whole country but Tehran’s situation remains more acute. The main reason is the consumption in the largest city of the country. Tehran’s water consumption has reached four million cubic meters per day.

When it comes to urban water shortage, increasing public awareness may not be required because in Tehran these days, everyone’s talking about power cuts and water shortages. Public education on how to avoid excessive water usage and wastage can go a long way. Another shift in paradigm can be delegating more control to local authorities on how water is allocated and managed.

Photo: The Amir Kabir Dam, which passes through the Karaj River, has shrunk to its lowest level in history.