Iran Considers Evacuating Tehran Amid Severe Water Crisis

Iranian officials are contemplating the evacuation of Tehran due to a severe water crisis exacerbated by record low rainfall. According to The New York Sun, President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that the capital may need to be relocated if the dire conditions continue.

The city, with a population of ten million, is experiencing extreme drought, with aquifers supplying more than half of its water at dangerously low levels. Reports indicate that dam levels have plummeted, with the Karaj Dam at just fourteen percent of capacity, while other areas report less than ten percent of normal totals.

Precipitation has dropped by eighty-six percent nationwide and by ninety-six percent in Tehran, marking the hottest summer in sixty years for the city. The Iranian meteorological center noted that since the rainy season began in September, the country has seen only two millimeters of rainfall, with twenty-one provinces recording none at all.

If water consumption isn't reduced by ten percent, officials warn that Tehran's sustainable water supply will face severe disruption. In response, the Iranian water industry spokesperson Issa Bozorgzadeh stated that water rationing may become necessary.

Additionally, cloud-seeding projects are being initiated in seven provinces to stimulate rainfall. There are also discussions of negotiating an oil-for-water trade deal with Turkey and enforcing a 1972 water treaty with Afghanistan to secure water resources.

However, analysts caution that regional drought conditions may limit the effectiveness of such diplomatic efforts. The United Nations University for Water, Environment, and Health director Kaveh Madani emphasized that Iran's water crisis is rooted in mismanagement rather than solely natural causes.

He pointed out that the country is facing its sixth consecutive year of drought, leading to additional environmental issues like the sinking city of Isfahan and increased respiratory health problems due to poor air quality.

While Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has not publicly addressed the drought, some officials have attempted to link the crisis to social and religious issues, suggesting that moral failings contribute to environmental degradation.

The situation continues to evolve, as millions of Iranians face the prospect of severe water shortages.