Why Iran has been forced to declare a holiday and import water

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3 days ago

Iran is boiling with 18 out of 31 provinces across the country including Tehran witnessing extreme temperatures. Much of the country has seen water and electricity supply disrupted. The development comes in the backdrop of water levels in the reservoirs dropping to their lowest levels in nearly 100 years read more
A man crosses an intersection on a hot summer day in downtown Tehran, Iran. AP
The Islamic Republic is witnessing temperatures soaring across the country.
It is importing water to meet the citizens and has been forced to declare a holiday.
But what happened? What do we know? And why is this happening?
Let's take a closer look
What happened?
Eighteen out of 31 provinces across the country including Tehran are witnessing extreme temperatures.
Temperatures in the southern and northern part of the country have exceeded 50 degrees Celsius.
The city of Shabankareh over the weekend recorded a temperature of 52.8 degrees Celsius.
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This could be the hottest temperature of the year.
Meanwhile, the town of Abadan, which is on Iran's southwestern border, saw a temperature of 51.6 degrees Celsius.
Ahwaz, which is near Abadan, saw a temperature of 50.3 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, Tehran for the first time this year saw a temperature of over 40 degrees Celsius.
Government offices in nearly a dozen provinces including the capital have been urged to conserve water.
The heatwave, which began last Friday, is slated to slowly dissipate starting Thursday.
Much of the country has seen water and electricity supply disrupted.
The development comes in the backdrop of water levels in the reservoirs dropping to their lowest levels in nearly 100 years.
Tehran's Provincial Water Supply Company has said that the water levels in reservoirs are at their lowest level in nearly a century.
The firm urged residents to cut their water use by 20 per cent.
According to a newspaper, Tehran on Sunday saw 'water outages lasting between 12 and 18 hours' in some areas.
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Iran is negotiating with several countries including Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to import water. AFP
Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani took to X to announce that a holiday has been declared on Wednesday in Tehran province.
'In light of the continued extreme heat and the necessity of conserving water and electricity, Wednesday … has been declared a holiday in Tehran province,' she wrote.
Mohajerani urged Iranians to have a 'rest, a short trip, or being with family, of course, while observing safety guidelines and conserving energy'.
Iran's Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi on Sunday apologised for the water shortages.
Aliabadi last week said Iran is negotiating with several countries including Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to import water.
Meanwhile, citizens are suffering.
'I feel the skin is going to burn. [My] shirt gets wet so quickly and I prefer to take shower twice a day at this age amidst severe heat. Thank God, there is no water crisis where I live', one resident of Tehran, who is his 50s, told The Guardian.
'I have heard from people that cutting water supply has resulted in water outages lasting at least 12 hours and more', he added. 'It feels more than 45 degrees Celsius. It is so hot'.
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'We have nine-hour load-shedding daily as the temperature has soared across Iran including my home town,' a man living in Mashhad added. 'The water crisis is one of the biggest issues. Our dams are becoming dry and water reservoirs are depleting so fast.'
Why is this happening?
Iran has been facing drought-like conditions for the past five years.
This, combined with record-low rainfall, has left its dams at the lowest levels in decades.
The World Resources Institute ranks Iran at number 14 in the world when it comes to baseline water stress.
Experts think a potential 'day zero', when Iran completely runs out of water, could come sooner rather than later.
Experts say climate change is making water scarcity worse.
Iran has long since battled issues with water and electricity.
They also point the finger at authorities, who they are mismanaging and overexploiting resources.
This is particularly true of Iran's capital Tehran where groundwater levels have depleted by 12 metres over the past two decades.
Tehran has lost an estimated 25 per cent of its water due to mismanagement.
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Things are so dire that the is even said to be mulling whether to shift the capital to Makhran region in the country's south.
Tehran has lost an estimated 25 per cent of its water due to mismanagement. AP
Iran's leaders are also worried.
'The water crisis is more serious than what is being talked about,' President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday.
Pezeshkian has called for a joint task force comprising government experts and academics to be established to examine the issue.
Pezeshkian said Iran will 'face a situation in the future for which no solution can be found' if nothing is done.
'Measures such as transferring water from other places to Tehran will not solve the problem fundamentally,' he added.
'In the water sector, beyond management and planning, we also need to address excessive consumption.'
With inputs from agencies