Contradictory Statements from Iranian Officials Regarding Water Pollution in 8 Areas of Tehran

While Iran's Minister of Health assures that Tehran's drinking water is problem-free, a member of Tehran's City Council emphasized on Thursday that drinking water is contaminated in eight areas of the capital. The Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported on Thursday, December 4, the words of Rahmatollah Hafezi, head of the Health Commission of Tehran City Council, who stated: "Samples taken from various areas of Tehran in September show that the water in eight areas is contaminated." According to him, "Documents regarding the pollution of Tehran's water have been sent to one of the supervisory organizations," and this has also been communicated to the Minister of Health, with plans to deliver the mentioned documents to him as well. These statements, however, prompted a reaction from Hassan Hashemi, Iran's Minister of Health, who stated: "If the head of the Health Commission [of Tehran City Council] has documents, it would be better to present them directly to the Minister of Energy instead of announcing them in public forums." According to Mr. Hashemi, increased exploitation of groundwater has caused "some problems regarding the heaviness of the water and its nitrate levels," and necessary funding has now been allocated to address this issue. He also reported on the order from the head of the Tehran Water and Wastewater Company to "stop the exploitation of water from three wells" that have high nitrate levels, adding that "this high nitrate level only poses a problem for children who use formula milk." The Iranian Minister of Health ultimately stated: "There is no reason to hide any issues with Tehran's water from the public... and currently, Tehran's water has no problems." Meanwhile, the head of the Health Commission of Tehran City Council says that although "creating calm and reassuring the public is the responsibility of the Minister of Health," the Ministry of Health "must publish the documents regarding the pollution of Tehran's water." Rahmatollah Hafezi also referred to statements from officials of the Tehran Water and Wastewater Company regarding the monitoring of nitrate levels in the city's drinking water, saying: "I hope this claim is true, as it was previously announced in September that the water was contaminated and later denied. Currently, they are also announcing that Tehran's water is safe." Mr. Hafezi had previously warned that the nitrate levels in drinking water in some areas of Tehran had reached critical conditions in the spring and summer of this year.