Water shortage in Iran: Residents urged to reduce consumption

Iranian authorities have called on the population to reduce water consumption as the country faces severe shortages due to a prolonged heatwave, state media reported on Sunday.

An arid country, Iran regularly experiences droughts, particularly in its southern provinces. The nation is currently enduring the hottest week of the year, with temperatures in some areas exceeding 50°C, according to the national weather service.

“The reservoirs of the dams supplying Tehran are currently at their lowest level in a century,” stated Tehran’s provincial water management company, in a statement published by the official IRNA news agency.

“People must conserve water to avoid pressure drops,” said Mehdi Chamran, president of the Tehran City Council, according to ISNA. The water company also urged residents to reduce their water use by “at least 20 percent” to help mitigate the crisis.

In recent days, authorities have issued similar calls for reduced consumption in several other provinces, including Fars (south), Khorasan Razavi (northeast), Khuzestan (southwest) and West Azerbaijan (northwest).

On Sunday, the conservative newspaper Javan reported “frequent and prolonged water cuts” in the provinces of Tehran and Alborz, west of the capital.

“A drop in pressure leads to water outages lasting 12 to 18 hours, which is difficult for families to endure during the hot summer days,” the paper noted.

Pénurie d'eau en Iran : les habitants appelés à réduire leur consommation