Iran's capital is staring down a water crisis so critical that experts warn "day zero"—when taps in Tehran might simply stop running—could hit in a matter of weeks. Drought and heat are nothing new in Iran, as are water shortages, but this time, the country's biggest city is at the epicenter. Reservoirs are dangerously low—the city's main ones are said to be sitting at about one-fifth of their capacity—and residents are scrambling to install storage tanks or rely on tanker deliveries to get by, reports CNN. Water pressure is also being decreased across the city, with the New York Times reporting that pressure has been reduced to such low levels that "water could not flow above the second floor of apartment buildings."
President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued dire warnings. "If we do not make urgent decisions today, we will face a situation in the future that cannot be solved," he said Monday, per CNN. Meanwhile, the government has already declared a one-day public holiday to cut consumption, and it's mulling a weeklong shutdown in hopes city dwellers will head out of town temporarily, easing the strain on supplies. These types of closures aren't something Pezeshkian supports. "Closing down is a cover-up and not a solution to the water shortage problem," he said Wednesday, per Reuters.
Tehran's predicament is the result of more than just bad weather. Experts point to decades of mismanagement and unchecked water use, from excessive groundwater pumping to inefficient agricultural practices and growing urban demand. The fallout? Sinking city blocks and a turn toward what some engineers call "water bankruptcy," a point where some of the damage may be irreversible, per CNN. Climate change is amplifying the crisis, with rainfall down more than 40% this year and soaring temperatures topping 122 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas this month. Protests have taken place in the past in Iran over water shortages. (Tehran's not the only capital city facing a water crisis.)
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