Last week, Iran took significant steps to address a serious drought by attempting cloud seeding to induce rain. This approach seemed effective, as heavy rainfall led to flooding in some areas of western Iran on Monday.
Water shortages have plagued Iran even in better years, but the last six years have been particularly challenging, with severe drought conditions prompting discussions about possibly evacuating parts of Tehran.
Kaveh Madani, an environmental scientist with the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health, mentioned that his research focuses on Iran’s ongoing “water bankruptcy.” He attributes this crisis largely to poor water management practices by the Iranian government.
For decades, those in charge in Iran have treated water as if it were an endless resource, while viewing environmental rights as negotiable. Promoting water-intensive farming in some of the driest regions has been justified by claims of food security and self-sufficiency. This approach, supported by heavy subsidies for water and electricity, has led to wasteful practices and unchecked groundwater extraction. The construction of dams and inter-basin water transfer projects is viewed as a point of national pride, with leaders obsessively focused on using every available drop of water while scornfully dismissing any loss to oceans or wetlands.
Madani criticized the Tehran regime for its fixation on “resistance economy” rhetoric, which seems to delay necessary reforms while attributing all issues to U.S. sanctions. The government often misleads citizens about water availability and conceals important data, obstructing any attempts by individuals to address the drought independently. Instead of confronting these challenges, officials have directed attention towards conspiracy theories like “cloud theft” and “weather manipulation.”
The regime’s poor strategic choices have further strained Iran’s fragile water infrastructure. Energy Minister Abbas Alibadi pointed out over the weekend that the government has had to impose strict water rationing, while highlighting the damage to water infrastructure from a recent military conflict with Israel.
Starting Monday, the administration rolled out new initiatives. Posters in Tehran warned of impending water shortages, leading residents to express outrage at the city’s water company for suggesting they purchase their own pumps and water tanks as a solution during this crisis. Reports indicated the city’s reservoirs were at dangerously low levels, down to just 5% of their capacity.
Even some fairly “moderate” Iranian media is publishing critical pieces about ineffective water management strategies. In light of this urgency, the administration initiated a large-scale cloud-seeding program.
Cloud seeding involves dispersing chemicals, typically salt, into clouds with the hope that moisture will condense around the particles. Other countries in the region have implemented similar technologies with some success.
Following the cloud seeding efforts, there was a noticeable increase in rainfall in western and northwestern Iran, as well as some snowfall in the mountains north of Tehran, where ski resorts are located. Unfortunately, the heavy downpours led to flash floods due to the rapid influx of water.
On Monday, the Iranian Meteorological Association issued flood warnings for six western provinces. Despite this influx of rain, average precipitation levels remain over 80% below what is normal.
Chief Meteorologist Sahar Tajbakhsh pointed out on state television that cloud seeding is expensive and that the rain yielded is far from sufficient to resolve the overall water crisis.
Unfortunately, conditions for effective cloud seeding in Tehran did not materialize, leaving the capital still gripped by severe drought. City officials now caution that Tehran’s water supply could be depleted in just a few weeks.
