In Tehran, Iranian officials have started to lower water pressure in homes due to a growing drought and water crisis. However, they are hesitant to officially label this action as rationing, despite residents experiencing reduced access to water.
The severity of the situation has led to discussions about water rationing in state media. President Masoud Pezeshkian, who serves under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, has suggested relocating Tehran to areas with more water resources.
According to a report from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), residents began to document water supply cuts last Sunday. State media has even entertained the possibility of recommending water rationing or evacuation of the capital if the reservoirs feeding Tehran’s water system don’t recover soon.
Reza Hajkarim, head of the Iranian Fisheries Federation, expressed in a television interview that water rationing should have been implemented earlier. Currently, about 62 percent of Tehran’s water is sourced from declining groundwater levels.
While there are hints from the government that formal water rationing might be coming, local officials have clarified that the current actions do not equate to a rationing policy. The National Water and Sewerage Company indicated that planned water rationing has not yet taken effect in Tehran or other cities, even as they confirmed nighttime restrictions on water pressure as a “control measure.”
A spokesperson for the water sector stated that lowering water pressure from midnight to dawn aims to minimize leaks and replenish water in reservoirs.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reported an urgent crisis not just in Tehran, but across the nation, noting that 19 dams are nearing complete depletion and over 20 are functioning at less than 5 percent of their capacity. The number of critically low dams has more than doubled in just a couple of weeks, highlighting a rapidly worsening situation.
Officials attribute the crisis to severe drought conditions, but the NCRI contends that mismanagement and insufficient investments in water infrastructure, especially as urban populations have surged beyond supply capabilities, are also to blame.
Despite expert warnings, authorities have mostly favored emergency measures like pressure reductions rather than committing to long-term solutions to modernize water systems and reduce demand.
In Mashhad, the country’s second-largest city, officials noted that the reservoir supplying water has dropped to just 3 percent of its capacity, indicating a need for better management of water usage. Reports indicate an increasing push from the government for citizens to practice “moral discipline” in their water consumption.
Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi acknowledged that Tehran’s water infrastructure is over a century old and deteriorating. He attributed water pressure issues not only to the aging system but also to military actions by Israel and the U.S. directed at Iran.
The outlook from Iranian authorities regarding immediate improvements appears bleak. Pezeshkian warned that if rainfall does not occur soon, there may be a need to evacuate the city. He expressed concerns over water rationing becoming necessary if conditions don’t change by late November.
Pezeshkian mentioned plans for a new capital closer to the Persian Gulf to better manage water shortages, suggesting that there really isn’t a viable alternative left for the country. He noted that last year’s rainfall was significantly below average and the current situation remains critical.
