Water levels in four reservoirs supplying Iran’s city of Mashhad have dropped to critical levels. The country is experiencing its most severe drought in recent years.
According to local sources, the reserves in the dams supplying water to the city of Mashhad have fallen below 3 percent.
Officials say Iran is facing a drought unseen in decades, with rainfall in the capital Tehran reported to be at its lowest level in a century. Fifteen of the country’s 31 provinces have seen no rainfall throughout the autumn.
Hussein Ismailiyan from the Mashhad Water and Sewerage Authority stated that the city, with a population of around 4 million, consumes 700,000 cubic meters of water daily, but only about 40 million cubic meters of water remain in the reservoirs. During the same period last year, reserves stood at 189 million cubic meters.
Water cuts in Tehran
The situation in the capital, Tehran, is also alarming. One of the five dams supplying the city has completely dried up, while the water level in another has fallen below 8%. The government has announced that periodic water cuts will be implemented during nighttime hours to conserve water.
While meteorologists reported no rain is expected over the next 10 days, the national press announced the water crisis with headlines such as “waiting for the sky.”
Tehran may have to be evacuated
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that Tehran may have to be evacuated by the end of the year if there is no rainfall. However, no explanation was given as to how such a large-scale operation would be carried out.
It is reported that 19 large dams in Iran are currently completely dry. This represents approximately 10 percent of the country’s total dam capacity.