LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- As Iran battles its worst drought in decades, life in Tehran, home to over 10 million people is drying up fast.
The government has begun rolling out water rationing plans, leaving citizens anxious and angry amid an escalating crisis that is testing both patience and political trust.
Iranian officials confirmed on Saturday that Tehran will face periodic water cuts as rainfall in the capital plunges to its lowest level in a century. Nearly half of the country’s provinces have endured months without a single drop of rain, intensifying what experts describe as Iran’s most severe environmental challenge in modern history.
Local media have already reported that several neighborhoods in Tehran went without water overnight this week, as authorities quietly began rationing supplies.
“This will help avoid waste even though it may cause inconvenience,” Energy Minister Abbas Ali Abadi said on state television, urging citizens to cooperate.
The government’s emergency measures come after a stark warning from President Masoud Pezeshkian, who cautioned that Tehran might even face partial evacuation if rain fails to return by year’s end. His statement, though vague on logistics, has amplified public concern about the government’s preparedness and transparency.
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Tehran, nestled along the southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains, typically depends on autumn rains and winter snowmelt. Unfortunately, reservoirs that once fed the city’s vast water system are now critically low.
The Amir Kabir Dam, one of five key reservoirs supplying the capital holds just 14 million cubic meters of water, compared to 86 million at the same time last year, according to the director general of the Tehran Water Company, Behzad Parsa.
Officials warn the dam can sustain the city for less than two weeks at current consumption rates. Similar shortages have been reported in Isfahan and Tabriz, where satellite images show dramatically receding water levels.
Elsewhere, authorities in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city, are weighing night-time water cuts to cope with mounting shortages.
Earlier this summer, Tehran was forced to declare two public holidays to reduce power and water usage during an extreme heatwave that triggered near-daily blackouts.
For millions of Tehran residents, the taps running dry have become a stark reminder of a government struggling to manage a climate and infrastructure crisis spiraling out of control.
As Iran’s capital braces for the uncertain months ahead, many citizens fear the real drought may be one of public trust.
