TEHRAN: Hundreds of residents gathered at Emamzadeh Saleh mosque in northern Tehran on Friday to pray for rain, as Iran faces one of its worst droughts in decades. The capital has recorded its lowest rainfall in a century, and half of the country’s provinces have seen no significant precipitation for months.
Read More: Tehran faces severe water crisis as reservoirs near depletion
In response to severe water shortages, authorities have implemented periodic cuts to water supplies for Tehran’s 10-million residents to curb consumption. At the mosque, men and women prayed in separate areas in accordance with Islamic practice, appealing for relief from the parched conditions.
Tehran, located on the southern slopes of the Alborz mountains, usually relies on autumn rains and winter snowfall to replenish its water supply. However, the mountains remain unusually dry this year, and local dams are at critical levels. Of the five major dams supplying the city, one is empty and another has less than eight percent capacity remaining.
Read More: One killed in Iran water shortage protests: state media
President Masoud Pezeshkian recently warned that if rainfall does not arrive before winter, Tehran could face extreme water crises, though officials later clarified that evacuation plans were not being proposed, only emphasizing the seriousness of the situation.
Officials estimate that the city consumes three million cubic meters of water daily, highlighting the urgency of the drought emergency.