Tehran suffering worst drought in 50 years: water official

A picture taken on October 26, 2021 shows the Darbandikhan Dam after the water level has fallen by 7.5 metres in one year, in northeastern Iraq. – Iraqi officials warned of a drastic drop in the flow of water in a river from Iran due to low rainfall and dam-building in the neighbouring Islamic republic. The Sirwan river begins in Iran, flowing to Darbandikhan Dam in northeastern Iraq before going through the rural province of Diyala and joining the Tigris. (Photo by Shwan MOHAMMED / AFP)

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) – Iran’s capital is suffering its worst drought in half a century, a water resources official said Tuesday, citing a 97 percent drop in monthly rainfall compared with last year.

Tehran has had 0.4 millimetres of rain since September 23, compared with 14.3 mm over the same period in 2020, said Mohammad Shahriari, deputy director of the company that supplies the region.

“Groundwater and surface water are at a critical state and there has not been a similar drought for the past 50 years,” he was quoted as saying by Iran’s ISNA news agency.

The five dams supplying water to the capital are at less than a third of their capacity, holding just 477 million cubic metres (under 17 billion cubic feet) of water instead of two billion cubic metres.

A picture taken on October 26, 2021 shows the Darbandikhan Dam after the water level has fallen by 7.5 metres in one year, in northeastern Iraq. – Iraqi officials warned of a drastic drop in the flow of water in a river from Iran due to low rainfall and dam-building in the neighbouring Islamic republic. The Sirwan river begins in Iran, flowing to Darbandikhan Dam in northeastern Iraq before going through the rural province of Diyala and joining the Tigris. (Photo by Shwan MOHAMMED / AFP)

In September last year, the reserves held 729 million cubic metres of water.

Water consumption in the agricultural sector has gone up by 14 percent compared with last year, and by eight percent for industry.

Hydroelectricity generation has dropped by 40 percent in the past six months, according to Shahriari.

Tehran is home to around nine million people.

In July, deadly protests broke out in the drought-hit southwestern province of Khuzestan after people took to the streets to vent their anger over water shortages.

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