Iran Water Resources Company: Rainfall has decreased by 75% at the beginning of the water year

The Iranian Water Resources Management Company reports that rainfall in the country has decreased by 75% since the beginning of the water year 95-96, which starts on October 1st. According to the IRNA news agency, rainfall during the overlapping period of the water years 94-95 and the current water year has been 68 millimeters, indicating a 75% decrease. The Water Resources Company states that when compared to the long-term average for the same period, this still shows a 50% decrease. The Ministry of Energy, of which the Water Resources Management Company is a part, states that since the beginning of October this year, the highest rainfall among the six main watersheds of the country has occurred in the Caspian Sea watershed, which has seen a 40% decrease compared to last year. Compared to the average collected over the past 48 years, this figure is still 4% lower than any previous time. However, the situation in the driest watershed among these six main watersheds, namely the Eastern Border Watershed, is significantly worse, showing zero millimeters of rainfall, or a 100% decrease, over the past 70 days. Last October, IRNA reported that the greatest decline in surface water flows, as in previous years, is related to the Eastern Border Watershed, which has seen a 79% decrease compared to the long-term average. In regions and cities such as Ahvaz in Khuzestan province, Abarkuh in Yazd, Chenaran in Razavi Khorasan province, and Khunik Aliyah in South Khorasan province, no rainfall has been recorded. Watersheds are part of arid regions where rainfall is transferred to the lowest points. Iran has a total of six watersheds: the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea, the Central Plateau, Lake Urmia, the Qara Qum, and the Eastern Border Watershed. These watersheds, each encompassing smaller areas, cover nearly 125 million hectares of land in Iran, with the remaining 40 million hectares consisting of desert, marshy, or urban areas. The Ministry of Energy defines its primary policy regarding water supply based on providing drinking water for citizens. Drought, consumption, and reduction of groundwater resources, water resource management, or water consumption management in the agricultural sector are among the issues cited as serious threats to the water supply for citizens. Iranian officials have repeatedly called for the 'optimization' of consumption in recent years.