Water reserves plummet in Iran’s Kurdistan province

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Authorities in Iran’s western Kurdistan province warned on Friday that water reserves in the dams are low as the country grapples with a severe drought.

“Thirty-eight percent of the province’s dam reservoirs are filled, which represents about a 25 percent decrease compared to the same period last year,” said Arash Arianzhad, general director of the province’s Regional Water Company, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.

The start of Iran’s autumn rainy season has brought little precipitation.

“According to the Meteorological Organization’s forecasts, this autumn will not be a normal one,” said Arianzhad.

Iran is experiencing its worst drought in decades, sparking dire warnings from President Masoud Pezeshkian.

“If it does not rain, we will have to start restricting water supplies in Tehran next month. If the drought continues, we will run out of water and be forced to evacuate the city,” Pezeshkian said during a visit to Sanandaj in Kurdistan province earlier in November.

Nearly 10 million people live in Tehran, which consumes around three million cubic metres of water each day, according to Iranian media.

Pezeshkian’s warning created controversy and debates about the possibility of such a drastic move, but the president reiterated in a meeting on Thursday that “some issues are not a matter of choice, rather, the pressure of circumstances and limited resources force us into difficult decisions.”

“Concentrating population and urban development in water-stressed regions, even if possible, is not wise unless the water problem is fundamentally resolved,” he said.

According to IRNA, there are 18 dams in Kurdistan province. Of these, 12 are managed by the province itself, while the remaining dams are operated by neighboring provinces, including West Azerbaijan and Kermanshah.