A 45% drop in rainfall since last year and a 29% decrease in water flowing into dams compared to the five-year average have pushed Iran deeper into a water crisis, adding pressure amid the current economic crisis and high inflation.
The situation is particularly critical in Tehran, where dam levels have fallen to just 17% of capacity, Firouz Ghasemzadeh, Iran's water sector spokesman, said on Sunday.
He added that cumulative rainfall since the beginning of the current water year (roughly starting in late September/early October) until late January is down 45% compared to the same period last year.
A 57-year rainfall record analysis places this year as the 53rd driest, meaning only four years in the past 57 have been drier.
Iran is currently grappling with one of its most severe droughts in over half a century. The situation has prompted criticism of the Iranian government's environmental management.
The volume of water entering Iranian dams since the start of the current water year until January 18th dropped by 5% compared to the same period last and 29% compared to the five-year average, Ghasemzadeh added.
Many regions of the country have been grappling with water shortages for more than a decade. Farmers have been periodically staging protests, demanding changes in government policies.
Outflow from dams has also decreased by 9% compared to the five-year average, since the beginning of the water year. As a result, current reservoir levels at 44% of total capacity, represent a slight improvement compared with last year.
Ghasemzadeh expressed particular concern about the state of dams in several provinces, including Tehran, where the five main dams are only 17% full—a 21% decrease compared to the five-year average. This shortage could have far-reaching effects on agriculture and food prices, especially with inflation averaging around 40% over the past five years.
The Zayandeh Rud dam in central Iran is at a critically low 13% capacity, a 28% drop compared to the five-year average. Significant reductions in reservoir volume and inflow are also reported in the provinces of Khorasan Razavi, Hormozgan, Zanjan, Markazi, and Golestan, underscoring the urgent need for water conservation.
Iran's water woes are compounded by several factors including regional politics, such as Afghanistan’s construction of the Pashdan Dam on the Harirud River.
The dam, which significantly restricts water flow to Iran's eastern provinces, threatens over two million residents in Razavi Khorasan Province who rely on the river for drinking water.
The current drought marks the fourth consecutive year of significant water scarcity in Iran, one of the most severe such periods in over half a century.
This has led to public criticism of the Iranian government's environmental policies. Even amidst government denials, the governor of Tehran recently admitted the country is "confronting a significant challenge in the water sector," acknowledging the dwindling rainfall and depleted dam reserves.
Additionally, the United Nations Water (UN-Water) has classified Iran as experiencing “extremely high-water stress” in its annual world water development report. The report highlights that Iran, along with other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, faces critical water scarcity issues.
