Tehran [Iran], July 25: Tehran is facing a water shortage so severe that its population of 15 million could be forced to move, the Asr-Iran news outlet reported on Thursday, citing comments from President Masoud Pezeshkian.
"The situation is serious, and Tehran really no longer has any water," Pezeshkian said. Moving the capital as an emergency solution could not be ruled out, he said.
Iran is experiencing a water crisis in more than 20 of its 31 provinces. State news agency IRNA reported that one of the largest water reservoirs could dry out completely within the next four weeks.
Levels have fallen to under 10% in seven reservoirs throughout the country, with two dams in the southern provinces of Hormozgan and Fars completely dry and 80% of reservoirs across the country almost empty.
Normal water supply will not be possible for the next two months until rainfall later in the year relieves the situation, climate experts say.
Pezeshkian pointed to years of drought as one reason for the current crisis, but also criticized previous government policy, which he said had ignored the problem.
Government offices and schools are to remain closed until at least Saturday on account of the crisis. Many factories have been shuttered in response to the shortages and a crisis in energy supply, with mass lay-offs anticipated.
Critics accuse the central government and provincial administrations of mismanagement in dealing with the weather challenges. Many Tehran residents have already left the capital for the northern provinces on the Caspian Sea, which are not experiencing supply problems.
Source: Qatar Tribune
