TEHRAN — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued a stark warning that the capital city, Tehran, may have to be evacuated if desperately needed rainfall does not arrive soon, as the country faces one of its worst water shortages in decades, according to “Anadolu”.
Speaking Thursday in Sanandaj, western Iran, Pezeshkian said the government is grappling with overlapping economic, environmental, and social crises, driven by both domestic mismanagement and international sanctions.
“High prices and inflation are the fault of both the parliament and the government,” he told reporters, according to Daily Itimad. “There are efforts underway, but limited financial resources mean many projects remain unfinished.”
Turning to the deepening drought, Pezeshkian warned that the crisis threatens the very survival of Tehran, home to more than 13 million people. “If it doesn’t rain, we will have to start restricting water supplies next month. If the drought continues, we will run out of water and be forced to evacuate the city,” he said, calling the situation “alarming.”
Tehran’s water system depends on five major dams Lar, Mamlu, Amir Kabir, Taleqan, and Latyan but reservoir levels have plunged due to declining rainfall. Meteorological data show precipitation in Tehran this year is nearly 40 percent below average, and the reservoirs supplying the capital have dropped to their lowest levels in a century.
Behzad Parsa, head of the Tehran Water Authority, warned last week that if dry conditions persist, the city’s dam reserves could sustain residents for only two more weeks. Intermittent water cuts have already hit neighborhoods through the summer.
Pezeshkian first sounded the alarm in July, cautioning that without immediate conservation measures, providing safe water to the public could soon become impossible. His latest remarks have underscored the urgency of a crisis now threatening Iran’s political and demographic heart.
