RFE/RL staff
Iran is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years, with major reservoirs running near-empty and water rationing beginning in Tehran.
Experts say decades of mismanagement and unrealistic agricultural self-sufficiency goals have pushed the country into “water bankruptcy.”
President Pezeshkian has warned that continued rainfall shortages could force evacuations from parts of Tehran and potentially require moving the capital.
Decades of mismanagement compounded by prolonged drought have pushed Iran to the brink of what experts call water bankruptcy.
With reservoirs running on empty and rainfall at a record low, the authorities have begun rationing water supplies in the Iranian capital, Tehran, a city of some 10 million people.
President Masud Pezeshkian has warned that the water crisis could lead to the evacuation of parts of Tehran and has gone as far as floating the possibility of moving the capital.
Kaveh Madani, director of the Canada-based United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health, said the warnings by the authorities didn't go far enough.
"The level of their warnings is too low compared to the reality on the ground," Madani, who previously served as deputy head of Iran's Department of Environment, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda.
"The government is being too cautious because it doesn't want to stress the public and upset people even more," he added.
Water bankruptcy is when consumption exceeds supply and the depletion of resources is irreversible. It is often driven by what experts say is misguided government policies intended to boost agriculture and development.
How Bad Is Iran's Water Crisis?
Iran is currently in the grips of the worst drought in some 60 years.
No comments:
Post a Comment