TEHRAN (dpa-AFX) – Iran’s president has sounded the alarm in the wake of the nationwide water crisis. If no rain falls by the end of November, water will have to be rationed, said Massoud Peseschkian on Thursday, as Iranian state media reported. In the event of an even longer drought, he is considering further, more drastic measures. “If it still doesn’t rain, we have to evacuate Tehran,” he continued.
The news caused shock among the capital’s approximately 15 million residents. Politicians and authorities have been warning about the consequences of the ongoing drought for months and have called on the population to save money. Tenants of larger apartment complexes received dramatic news. “Due to severe water pressure drop and low water reserves, valued residents are requested to store water for their own consumption,” an alert said.
Moving the capital’s headquarters seems unrealistic to many
Residents of the capital reported new austerity measures ordered by the authorities. In some quarters the water was completely switched off late in the evening and at night.
Peseschkian had already brought up a relocation of the capital’s headquarters in the past. In addition to the water crisis, Tehran’s residents also suffer from massive air pollution, rising prices and high rents. However, moving the government headquarters and relocating important authorities and companies to other parts of the country seems completely unrealistic to many people in the city with over a million inhabitants.
Experts have been warning of a water crisis for years
Iran is one of the driest countries in the world. In recent years, experts have noticed a significant decrease in rainfall, while at the same time droughts and other extreme weather events are increasing.
Experts have been warning for years that agriculture in Iran is suffering from false incentives: instead of adapting to the water-scarce conditions, particularly thirsty crops have been subsidized. Traditional cultivation methods have been displaced – with fatal long-term consequences for soils and reserves. Thousands of families have left rural areas. Many move to the capital – and encounter an already overloaded system./arb/DP/jha