More than Half of Iran's Dam Reservoirs Are Empty

On Saturday, March 6, the Iranian Ministry of Energy reported a 16% decrease in water inflow to the country's dam reservoirs since the beginning of the current water year, stating that 59% of the reservoirs of major dams in the country are empty. Concurrently, the Iranian Minister of Energy announced that, at the request of this ministry, the Supreme Water Council has issued an order to form a 'Drought Crisis Headquarters' in the provinces of Iran. According to the Mehr News Agency, since the beginning of the current water year, the volume of water entering Iran's dam reservoirs has reached 9 billion and 490 million cubic meters, down from 11 billion and 330 million cubic meters reported in the same period last year. Based on the Ministry of Energy's report, water inflow to the country's major dams has decreased by 16% since the beginning of this year's water year. Accordingly, the current volume of water in Iran's dam reservoirs has decreased by 2% compared to the same period last year, amounting to approximately 20 billion and 170 million cubic meters. The stored water in Iran's dam reservoirs during the same period last year was reported to be 20 billion and 600 million cubic meters. The Ministry of Energy reported that the current capacity of Iran's dam reservoirs is 48.8 billion cubic meters, of which only 41% has been filled so far. On Tuesday, November 12, 2013, Iranian media reported a 'warning status' for the country's dams, stating that the water volume of 76 dams in Iran has dropped to less than 30% of their reservoir capacity. Meanwhile, Yaqoub Hemmati, the director of the Planning Office of the Iran Water Resources Management Company, reported on Saturday, February 6, that precipitation in Iran since the beginning of the water year (October 2021 to mid-February) has decreased by 27% compared to last year and by 26% compared to the 'long-term average.' On Saturday, the Iranian Minister of Energy also stated: 'In major cities such as Kerman, Bandar Abbas, Hamadan, Tehran, and Isfahan, there are special conditions regarding drinking water supply that require extraordinary action.' According to the Ministry of Energy's website, Hamid Chitchian, referring to the formation of the 'Drought Crisis Headquarters' in Iran's provinces, added: 'At the request of the Ministry of Energy from the Supreme Water Council, the order to form these headquarters has now been issued with a priority on supplying drinking water in the provinces, and we must utilize all national capacities in these headquarters.' According to Mr. Chitchian, planning for the supply of water to major cities in the upcoming summer has been on the agenda for several months. As spring approaches, warnings from officials in Iran about the shortage of drinking water in large cities have also increased. Among them, Hamidreza Janbaz, the Deputy Minister of Energy, reported on Friday, March 1, that three cities, Bandar Abbas, Sanandaj, and Kerman, are in a 'red status' regarding drinking water supply, and in 547 other cities, 'the most pessimistic scenario predicts water stress.'