The primary source of drinking water for residents of Tehran, the capital of Iran, is facing a critical shortage, with the supply at risk of running out within two weeks. This alarming situation has been attributed to an unprecedented drought that has affected the entire country.
The Amir Kabir Dam, one of five key reservoirs supplying water to Tehran, currently holds only 14 million cubic meters of water—just eight percent of its total capacity. Behzad Parsa, director of the capital’s water company, warned that at this level, the dam could sustain the city’s water needs for only two more weeks.
This warning comes amid what officials describe as the worst drought in decades. Rainfall in Tehran province has been exceptionally low, with some local authorities calling it “nearly without precedent for a century.” The megacity, home to over 10 million people, relies on the Alborz Mountains’ rivers, which feed into several reservoirs. However, the region has seen a complete absence of precipitation, according to Parsa, who noted that the Amir Kabir Dam had previously held 86 million cubic meters of water a year ago.
Parsa did not provide information about the status of other reservoirs in the system. Iranian media reports indicate that Tehran consumes approximately three million cubic meters of water daily. In response to the crisis, water supplies have been restricted in several neighborhoods, and outages have become common, especially during the summer months.
In July and August, two public holidays were declared to conserve water and energy, coinciding with a severe heatwave that saw temperatures in Tehran exceed 40°C (104°F) and reach over 50°C (122°F) in some areas. Power cuts were frequent during this period. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian described the water crisis as more severe than publicly acknowledged.
Water scarcity is a widespread issue across Iran, particularly in the arid southern provinces. Experts attribute the shortages to mismanagement, overuse of groundwater, and the increasing effects of climate change. The situation is not unique to Iran; neighboring Iraq is also experiencing its driest year since 1993. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, which flow into the Persian Gulf, have seen their levels drop by up to 27 percent due to reduced rainfall and upstream water restrictions, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis in southern Iraq.
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