Authorities seek divine intervention as water crisis might force Iran to evacuate its capital, Tehran

Iran is facing its worst water crisis in a decade, with dangers looming that the capital city of Tehran might become uninhabitable soon. As the city continues to pray for rain, President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that mere rationing will not solve the problem; if there is no rainfall in December, citizens will be in grave trouble.

“Even if we ration, if it doesn’t rain again, then we won’t have water at all,” said President Masoud Pezeshkian in the first week of November.

Why is Iran facing a water shortage?

Climate change has significantly hurt the water reservoirs. Iran is in its sixth straight drought year, and temperature in Iran crosses 122 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer. Iran's state media have reported that Iran received 40 per cent less rainfall last year compared to its 57-year average in Iran. The forecast also predicts continuous dry conditions towards the end of December. Tehran is solely dependent on the five reservoirs, which are fed from the rivers outside the city. They used to collectively store 500 million cubic metres now have barely 250 million. These issues extend far beyond Tehran, Iran’s second-largest city. Mashad's water reserves plunged below 3 per cent. Nationally, 19 major dams, roughly 10% of Iran’s total, have run dry.

Furthermore, the 12-day war with Israel has also damaged the water infrastructure. Citizens also blame the mismanagement: “The authorities have known about this problem for years, but nothing has been done,” said Sadegh Razavi, a restaurant owner in Iran. Iran's Minister of Energy, Abbas Aliabadi, warned that they will resort to a power cut at night. Citizens lament that the historic Persia, even after being so rich in minerals and natural reserves, has to suffer from a water crisis and power cuts.

Researchers, eventhough they argued for the narrative of climate change, also highlighted the mismanagement and systemic corruption that resulted in the dire crisis. “The problem is mismanagement and systemic corruption in the system that basically allows powerful organisations to even build dams or diversion tunnels without even getting permits,” said Amir AghaKouchak, a California-based researcher. There has been an overdraft of groundwater, which is making the soil salty, and lakes are disappearing. Iran's state media have reported several critics blaming the years of illegal well drilling and inefficient agricultural practices. President Pezeshkian have blamed the previous governments for the mismanagement. There had been instances of unrest in southwestern Khuzestan province, sometimes escalating to violence.

Authorities are calling for divine intervention. "In the past, people would go out to the desert to pray for rain,” said Mehdi Chamran, head of Tehran’s City Council, state media reported. "Perhaps we should not neglect that tradition." Other stopgap measures include decreasing water pressure and transferring some of the water from its reserves. But without a December rain, the crisis is unavoidable.