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Iran is facing an escalating water emergency as dam levels sink to historic lows across multiple basins and officials warn of pressure cuts and potential rationing in major cities. State reports say 19 dams are on the verge of complete depletion, while more than 20 dams are holding under five percent of their capacity. At the start of Aban (October 23 on Iranian calendar), only eight dams were in such critical condition; within less than two weeks, the number more than doubled, underscoring the rapid deterioration.
In Tehran, the managing director of the city’s Water and Wastewater Company claimed the capital is experiencing five consecutive years of drought for the first time in recent decades and that stored water in the five main reservoirs has fallen to a historic minimum. He confirmed nighttime pressure reductions as part of demand management and advised households facing low pressure to consider storage tanks and booster pumps.
In Mashhad, the head of the local water utility said the reservoirs that supply the metropolis have dropped to below three percent. He cited sharply reduced rainfall—about 0.4 millimeters so far this season, compared with 27–28 millimeters at the same point last year and a long-term average of ~14 millimeters—as evidence of the severity of the deficit. Current demand is around 8,000 liters per second, he added, of which only 1,000–1,500 l/s is being met from dams. Local authorities have asked residents to cut consumption by about 20% to help avoid rationing, which remains under review if dry conditions persist.
Why #Iran Is Running Out of Water, Power — and Patiencehttps://t.co/9ZghlJCNpO
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 13, 2025
Municipal leaders in the capital have described the situation as a serious warning, saying long-term planning has lagged the city’s growth and urging immediate conservation. State media, meanwhile, list critically low reservoirs across the Central Plateau and eastern basins, the Atrak and northern basins, Zohreh and southern basins, Karkheh and western basins, as well as Aras and Sefidrud in the north and northwest—suggesting a nationwide shortfall rather than an isolated regional problem.
Environmental analysts and urban planners say the worsening shortages reflect years of mismanagement and inadequate investment in water infrastructure, as population growth in major cities outpaced supply planning. Despite repeated warnings from experts, authorities have relied on short-term measures such as pressure reduction and public appeals for conservation instead of structural reforms to modernize networks and control demand.
The result, analysts warn, is a nationwide ecological emergency that threatens both public welfare and state stability. With groundwater depletion now exceeding natural recharge in most provinces, and major river systems reduced to seasonal streams, Iran faces what hydrologists describe as an approaching point of irreversible water stress.