6 days ago
Iran in deep crisis! Chaos over water and frequent power cut in Tehran and other areas; How did three crises strike the Muslim nation at once?
Iran in deep crisis! Chaos over water and frequent power cut in Tehran and other areas; How did three crises strike the Muslim nation at once? (Image: AFP)
This year, Tehran has received much less rainfall, almost half of the usual amount. According to Iran's state news agency IRIB, the country's dams are now holding only 42 per cent of their total capacity, meaning they have less than half the water they can store.
Since the start of the current water year on September 22, 2024, Iran's dams have collected just 23.56 billion cubic meters (BCM) of water. This is 42 per cent less than the same period last year, when the figure was 40.55 BCM.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said that efforts are being made around the clock to pump water from the nearby Taleqan Dam to Tehran to ensure enough supply for the autumn season. However, he admitted it's unclear whether this will solve the problem, as rainfall in the province has dropped by 45 per cent.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Mohammad-Taqi Hosseinzadeh, CEO of District 5 of the Tehran Water and Wastewater Company, said the city's dam reserves will last only until the end of September. He urged residents to manage their water usage carefully.
According to Iran's Water Resources Management, the shortage is mainly due to an 'unprecedented' drought that has affected the country since the start of the current water year.
As short-term measures, authorities have shortened working hours and closed some offices in the affected cities. In July, the government also set a daily water usage limit of 130 liters per person. Power crisis in Iran
In Tehran, 44-year-old digital marketer Sara checks her phone every morning at 6 a.m., not to read messages from friends, but to see what time the day's power cuts will begin.
Iran's electricity shortage is the result of both outdated infrastructure and problems with fuel supply, leaving power generation unable to keep up with rapidly growing demand. According to an Al Jazeera report, a parliamentary study in October showed that 85 per cent of Iran's electricity comes from fossil fuels, 13 per cent from hydropower, and the rest from renewable and nuclear sources.
Even though Iran has huge oil and gas reserves, decades of sanctions and low investment have left its power plants and transmission systems unable to handle rising consumption. Fuel supply disruptions have also forced some plants to burn mazut, a heavy fuel oil, instead of natural gas, but this is restricted due to pollution concerns. On top of that, the current drought has reduced hydropower output just as demand for air conditioning has reached its peak.
Shahram, a 38-year-old manager at a software company, said that power cuts during office hours often force him to send staff home early, hurting productivity. 'The cuts usually happen between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m., which are peak working hours. If it happens at 2, 3, or 4 in the afternoon, I just send everyone home because there's no point. By the time power comes back, the workday is already over,' he explained.
