As Iran enters its fifth consecutive year of drought, the water crisis has intensified on a broad scale. From rural areas and underprivileged towns to the capital Tehran, communities are experiencing water shortages, pressure drops, and even frequent water outages.
Sajjad Jafarzadeh, the director of water and wastewater in Khalkhal, confirmed on Friday, July 18, that the region is facing severe water stress and part of the water supply project remains unfinished due to lack of funding.
Iran’s Regime Negotiates with Four Countries to Import Water as Crisis Deepens
Unprecedented decline in rainfall, severe drops in dam and groundwater levels, and the absence of effective consumption policies have painted an alarming outlook for the country’s water future.
Iran’s soil is parched
Alireza Abbasi, member of the regime’s parliament representing Karaj, said on Thursday, July 17, 2025, in a meeting with the managers of Alborz Regional Water Company: “Given the high rate of population influx and the implementation of projects like the National Housing Movement, pressure on the province’s water resources will increase. Every water project must be accompanied by demographic and development assessments.”
According to Abbasi, “Although drinking water supply is a priority, we must not sacrifice food security. No country ignores its food security, even if it has abundant water resources.”
Silent rationing in the capital
The state-run daily Ham-Mihan reported on July 17 that in the capital, a form of “silent rationing” has emerged through pressure drops, repeated nighttime water cuts, and recommendations to purchase water tanks and pumps.
According to the report, although the water and wastewater company has claimed that there are no official plans for cutoffs, the CEO of the Tehran Water and Wastewater Company stated that residents should consider purchasing water tanks and reservoirs.
Numerous reports have emerged of nighttime water outages, failure to supply water to lower floors of buildings, and residents’ protests. Southern and peripheral districts of Tehran—from Salehiyeh and Pishva to Nematabad and Shariati Town—have been the hardest hit.
In contrast, northern Tehran has so far experienced the least disruption, which has increased the “sense of discrimination among southern residents” of the capital. Northern Tehran is an affluent area.
Ham-Mihan, quoting water sector experts, emphasized that if current consumption trends continue and infrastructure remains inadequate, the likelihood of implementing official rationing in the coming weeks is high.
Low rainfall, empty dams, and extreme heat
Issa Bozorgzadeh, spokesperson for Iran’s water sector, stated that rainfall in the current water year has decreased by more than 40% compared to the long-term average, with only about 153 millimeters recorded.
The state-run newspaper Ettelaat reported that rising temperatures have caused 75% of rainfall to evaporate, effectively eliminating the possibility of utilizing a significant portion of surface water.
According to the report, out of approximately 260 billion cubic meters of annual precipitation in the country, only 85 billion cubic meters are usable.
The volume of the country’s surface runoff has dropped to under 45 billion cubic meters, and groundwater recharge has fallen below 40 billion cubic meters.
Ettelaat wrote that 55% of the country’s water consumption is supplied from underground sources—sources that now face a cumulative deficit of about 145 billion cubic meters, leading to land subsidence, desertification, and environmental crises.
The country’s dams are also in dire condition. Only 14% of the reservoir capacity of Tehran’s dams is filled, and Latian Dam, with a capacity of 95 million cubic meters, currently holds only 41 million cubic meters of water.
Abbas Aliabadi, Iran’s regime energy minister, warned on July 14 that dams such as Mamloo, Latian, and Lar may soon go offline.
What are the consequences of this crisis?
Water outages, in addition to putting pressure on household consumers, could force production units to shut down, exacerbating unemployment.
The water crisis will have serious social and economic impacts. Large-scale migration from rural areas, rising local tensions over access to limited water resources, and a decline in agricultural and industrial production are among the consequences Iran will face.
Experts have long warned that if this trend continues, Iran will reach a point where not only will habitation in many regions become difficult, but social and economic security will also be endangered.
The Drying Up of Lake Urmia Will Destroy Millions of Lives and Hectares of Land
The drying of water bodies—from Lake Urmia to Zayandeh-Rood and Hoor al-Azim—is an example of the environmental threats posed by the water crisis.
The decline in surface runoff has endangered plant and animal species and put fragile ecosystems at risk of collapse. If this trend continues, desertification, land subsidence, and the expansion of dust storm hotspots will accelerate.
