Tehran Faces Potential Evacuation as Water reserves Dwindle
TEHRAN - Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has warned that Tehran may need to be evacuated in late November or early December if rainfall doesn’t materialize, as the capital faces a critical water shortage. The announcement, made in a speech broadcast by state television, comes amid dwindling water reserves and increasing concerns over a prolonged drought.
The crisis stems from considerably reduced precipitation across Iran this year,with rainfall totaling 152 millimeters – 40% less than the 57-year average. Some provinces have experienced declines of 50 to 80%, according to Mohammad Reza Kavianpour, head of the Water Research Institute in Tehran, who urged the country to “prepare for a critical situation.”
Behzad Parsa,director of Tehran’s water company,stated Sunday that the city risks running out of drinking water within two weeks. the Amir Kabir dam,one of five supplying Tehran,currently holds only 14 million cubic meters of water,representing 8% of its capacity.
Authorities are urging conservation, with Tehran residents reducing water consumption by 10% over the past six months.Officials estimate a 20% reduction could maintain stability for another month or two, pending rainfall. Water has already been cut off in some areas of the city, following frequent outages experienced during the summer months. In July and August, the government even declared two public holidays to conserve water and energy during a heatwave.
The situation underscores the growing impact of climate change, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reporting an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme events like droughts. The World Bank projects that climate change could displace 216 million people within their own countries by 2050.
