As Iran’s energy crisis intensifies, officials of the Iranian regime are shifting responsibility onto the public, urging citizens to “conserve” and warning of the critical state of dam water reserves.
On Sunday, July 20, the Tehran Water and Wastewater Company announced that the droughts of the past five years, combined with the sharp decline in rainfall this water year, represent an unprecedented situation in the past 60 years and have severely affected Tehran’s water resources.
According to the company, the current reserves in the dams that supply water to Tehran are at their lowest level in the past 100 years.
The utility advised residents living in multi-story residential complexes to install a storage tank and then a pump on the ground floor or basement level to “compensate for pressure drops.”
A video circulating on social media dated July 20 shows water being delivered by tanker trucks to residents of Shahriar County in Tehran Province.
Dozens of residents from various cities report that they experience at least two power outages per day, each lasting at least two hours, and water is cut off for at least four hours daily.
Regime-affiliated media, citing a “500 million cubic meter deficit” in Tehran’s dams, reported that the total reserves currently stand at around 414 million cubic meters. Under normal conditions, this figure should be 925 million cubic meters at this time of year.
Lar Dam is only 7% full and, with a 34% decrease compared to last year, is in a severely deteriorated state.
Latyan and Mamloo Dams at 20% Capacity, Amir Kabir at 38%
Tehran City Council Chief Urges Conservation Despite 24-Hour Water Cuts
Reports from several Iranian cities indicate water outages lasting for many hours—and in some cases, up to a full day or longer.
On July 20, Mehdi Chamran, the chairman of Tehran City Council, referenced the water shortage crisis in the capital and said: “The Ministry of Energy is trying to supply water.”
He continued: “We are still facing water pressure drops and occasional outages, and people must help manage the situation through conservation.”
Iranian citizens are being forced to install water tanks and pumps in their homes.
Energy Mafia Is the Main Driver of Iran’s Water and Power Crises
Banafsheh Zahraei, a professor of water resources management at the University of Tehran, stated that the four main dams supplying water to the capital will dry up by mid-September.
According to EcoIran, citing official statistics as of July 12, 54% of the country’s dam reservoirs are empty, and 17 dams have less than 20% of their capacity filled.
The filling level of 10 dams is under 10%, putting them dangerously close to complete dryness.
This list includes Lar and Latyan dams in Tehran, as well as Shamil and Niyan in Hormozgan Province.
The Water Industry publication reported that from the beginning of the current water year (starting September 22, 2024) until July 12, total inflow to the country’s dams has dropped to approximately 22.4 billion cubic meters.
A multilayered mafia involved in policymaking, resource exploitation, and project implementation is the main cause of the water and energy crises in Iran.
In addition to water shortages, electricity and internet services have also been cut for several hours each day in numerous Iranian cities in recent weeks.
Following power outages in the Tabriz marketplace, some shopkeepers have been forced to use electric generators to continue their operations.
This situation is similar in other Iranian cities and has affected all types of businesses.
