Amid growing warnings about the worsening water crisis and the Iranian regime’s inability to manage its resources, the CEO of Tehran Regional Water Company announced that currently only 14 million cubic meters of water remain stored behind Karaj (Amir Kabir) Dam, which can supply Tehran’s drinking water for just two more weeks.
On Sunday, November 2, Behzad Parsa said that the inflow of water to Tehran’s dams has decreased by 43% compared to the previous water year.
He added that at the same time last year, the Karaj Dam reservoir held around 86 million cubic meters of water, and this unprecedented decline is the result of a 100% decrease in rainfall in Tehran Province compared with the long-term average.
Water Inflow into Dams in 21 Iranian Provinces Down 39% Compared to Last Year
Parsa stressed that five consecutive years of drought have put severe pressure on Tehran Province’s water resources, and if water consumption in the capital is not controlled, serious challenges in providing drinking water will emerge.
This Tehran Regional Water Company official cited public participation in “saving water and modifying consumption patterns” as the only way to overcome the crisis.
In recent months, as the water crisis has worsened, officials of the Iranian regime have repeatedly blamed the public, warning about declining dam reserves and urging citizens to “save water.”
Isa Bozorgzadeh, spokesperson for Iran’s Water Industry, announced on November 2 that a special meeting on managing Tehran’s drinking water crisis was held with the participation of the Minister of Energy and the Tehran governor. He said that, given the “very short endurance time” of the Latyan, Mamloo, Lar, and Amir Kabir dams, special measures have been adopted to reduce the capital’s water consumption.
He added that the planned reduction must be achieved through the joint management of the Energy Ministry and the citizens.
Bozorgzadeh also said on October 31 that a “pessimistic scenario” had been developed for Tehran’s autumn water supply and, given the current situation, the reduction in water pressure would continue until the stability of water resources is restored.
The critical state of Iran’s wetlands
On November 2, the Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that during the past summer, nine of Iran’s major lakes and wetlands—including Lake Urmia, Bakhtegan, Parishan, Jazmourian, Gavkhouni, Hamun, Maharloo, Tashk, and Houz-e Soltan in Qom—had completely or almost completely dried up.
Tasnim highlighted the critical condition of the country’s wetlands after consecutive droughts, writing that according to estimates by Iran’s Environmental Protection Organization, more than 60% of the nation’s wetlands have either dried up or hold less than half their water capacity.
The lack of water inflow, excessive water extraction, and the drop in groundwater levels have been cited as the main causes of this situation.
The state-run ILNA news agency reported on October 24 that the volume of water entering the country’s dams between September 23, and October 18 was 780 million cubic meters, a 39% decrease compared with 1.29 billion cubic meters during the same period last year.
The current water crisis is not the result of a single year of drought but the product of decades of mismanagement, excessive dam construction, and the lack of an adaptation plan for water scarcity.
Experts warn that calls for “saving water” without reforming water governance, increasing data transparency, restoring aquifers, controlling illegal water withdrawals, and reducing costly agricultural consumption will merely postpone the crisis to the next season.
