Dry dams, a capital yearning for water and people gazing towards the sky, a country is currently stuck in such a water crisis that just by seeing and hearing one can understand how dire the situation is. This country is Iran. The water shortage has reached such an extent that even the President had to come forward and warn that if it does not rain soon, a decision to remove the population from the capital may have to be taken.
And all this is not limited to Tehran only. More than 20 provinces of the country have been craving for a drop of water for months. Fields dried up, ponds disappeared and in many cities people waited for hours with buckets waiting for water to come from somewhere. Experts are clearly saying that this crisis will not last for one or two years but will leave its impact for generations.
The condition of the capital is worst, dam at 10% capacity.
According to a CNN news, the country’s capital Tehran, which has a population of around 15 million, is facing the worst crisis. The main reservoirs are filled only up to 11%. A big dam located near the city is at only 9% capacity. Another important dam has reached 8%, which is a very dangerous level for water supply. In many areas, water taps sometimes remain dry for hours. The government is not officially announcing rationing, but people are continuously complaining of low pressure and irregular supply of water.
Drought has been going on for 6 years, the worst situation
The country has been facing drought continuously for the last six years. Experts say that this drought is not only long but also unprecedented in its intensity. Less rainfall and rising temperature have worsened the situation. Climate change has added fuel to the fire.
After all, how did the water crisis become so big?
According to experts, the water problem has not arisen suddenly; decades of wrong policies are responsible for it. As:-
- excessive damming of rivers
- indiscriminate exploitation of groundwater
- old, leaking plumbing
- Expansion of water-consuming industries
- And the biggest reason – agricultural policies based on water
About 90% of the water in the country goes for farming. Water-guzzling crops like rice are grown on a large scale, due to which groundwater is continuously being drawn down.
Lakes dried up, rivers disappeared, underground water also disappeared.
A major lake, once ranked among the largest salt water lakes in the world, has now almost dried up. Experts call it water bankruptcy, that is, the country has exhausted its water resources as if someone empties his bank account without even getting a chance to refill it. The government has also made efforts to create artificial rain in the clouds, but scientists doubt its success. The situation has become so bad that people are visiting mosques and religious places on a large scale and praying for rain.
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