Tehran is experiencing an unusually dry winter, with no snowfall and mountain peaks left completely bare. Typically, nearly half of Iran’s provinces receive some level of rainfall at this time of year, but many regions have now gone months without a single drop.
Local officials say the capital is witnessing the lowest level of precipitation in a century, sparking growing concern among residents. In response, hundreds of people gathered on Friday at the Imamzadeh Saleh Mosque in northern Tehran to offer special prayers for rain, hoping to ease the worsening crisis.
Last week, President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that if rainfall does not arrive before winter sets in fully, Tehran may even need to be relocated—though he provided no detailed plan. He cautioned that even if water consumption is strictly limited, the capital could completely run out of water. The government later clarified that the president’s remarks were meant as a serious warning, not an official policy proposal.
Iranian authorities have now indicated that water supplies for the capital’s 10 million residents may be suspended. During this time of year, the country’s main dams usually retain partial or full reserves. One major dam has already run dry, and another is down to just 8 percent of its capacity.
Conditions elsewhere in the country are similarly dire. Local media report that Iran has recorded only 152 millimeters of rainfall this year—a staggering 40 percent below the 57-year national average.
Source: Al Jazeera, Geo News.