Iran has been hit by an unprecedented drought, with the crisis becoming particularly acute in the capital, Tehran. Under the worsening situation, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned that the city may need to be evacuated if conditions do not improve.
He cautioned that if there is no rainfall, authorities may have to begin water rationing in the capital. If rationing also fails to stabilize the situation, the government will be forced to consider emptying the city.
His remarks have sparked widespread criticism in Iranian media and on social platforms. Former Tehran mayor Gholamhossein Karbaschi described the idea of evacuating residents as “completely absurd.”
Iran’s meteorological department has reported that no rainfall is expected in the next 10 days.
Reservoirs Drying Up, Disaster Looms
Daily life in Tehran is already being affected by the drought. One woman said she was going to buy water tankers to use for toilets and other necessities.
The main reservoir near Tehran—the Latian Dam—now holds less than 10% of its capacity. The Karaj Dam is in similarly dire condition. Its manager, Mohammad-Ali Moallem, said rainfall has decreased by 92% compared to last year, leaving the reservoir with only 8% water, most of which is “dead water,” meaning unusable.
Night-time Water Supply May Be Cut
Iran’s Energy Minister Abbas Ali Abadi said the government may need to shut off water flow completely on certain nights. Officials are also considering fines for excessive water use.
He added that water leakage from Tehran’s century-old pipelines and infrastructure, along with damage resulting from a recent 12-day conflict with Israel, has worsened the crisis.
Crisis Extends Beyond Tehran
According to Ahmad Vazhifeh, head of Iran’s National Climate and Drought Crisis Center, reservoirs in the provinces of West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, and Markazi are also drying up.
The situation in the northeastern city of Mashhad is described as catastrophic. The province’s governor said Mashhad’s reservoirs hold less than 8% water.
Hossein Esmailian, head of the local water corporation, reported that among the city’s four main reservoirs—Torogh, Kardeh, Doosti, and Ardek—only Doosti Dam has some usable water, while the others are almost completely inactive.
A Long-standing Crisis
Experts say Iran’s water crisis has been decades in the making. Even Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly warned about the issue since 2011.
Due to the lack of effective measures, more than 16 million residents of Tehran, Karaj, and Mashhad now face the real risk of “running out of tap water.”
