Iranian authorities have urged citizens to limit water consumption as the country endures extreme heatwaves and a deepening water crisis. Temperatures have exceeded 50C in some areas, with the southwestern city of Shabankareh recording 52.8C over the weekend, potentially the hottest temperature of the year so far.
The country has been in drought for five years, with rainfall even lower this year. Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi announced negotiations to import water from Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Hundreds of dams built since the 1950s have seen significantly reduced output due to the drought, contributing to power cuts across the nation.
A public holiday was declared in Tehran province on Wednesday due to the enduring heatwaves, according to government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani. Residents reported water outages lasting at least 12 hours in some parts of the capital. The Karaj dam, which supplies Tehran province, has hit its lowest level.
President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a stark warning during a cabinet meeting, stating: “The water crisis is more serious than what is being discussed today, and if we do not take urgent action now, we will face a situation in the future for which no remedy can be found.” He called for addressing excessive consumption in the water sector.
In Mashhad, resident Ehsan Ali reported nine-hour daily load-shedding and said a dam built upstream by Afghanistan in Herat province had exacerbated the water crisis. Climatologist Maximiliano Herrera noted that human-caused climate breakdown is making heatwaves more intense and likely.
