Iran’s Energy Ministry ruled out the possibility of a cyber-strike on the data monitoring, collecting and analyzing systems of the country's dams where a series of technical glitches were reported in the last few days.
“The system is offline for security issues and has nothing to do with cyberattacks,” Etezad Moqimi, the head of the Energy Ministry's Crisis Management Department, was quoted as saying by ISNA.
As per the ministry’s new directive, people outside the system responsible for collecting information and computing figures related to dams are not allowed to have access to the data anymore.
Moqimi stressed that there are no worries regarding security issues.
Denying rumors on social media about a cyberattack against the system that assesses the reserves of dams, the official noted that the database will not be accessible to the general public until further notice.
“The system was taken offline to secure information and statistics. Now it is up and running, but it will only be accessible to people with a special security code,” he added.
Last month, a cyberattack shut down Iran's gas stations, disabling them for a week.
Iran is largely arid and suffers chronic dry spells as one of the most water-stressed countries in the world.
According to the Energy Ministry’s news portal, precipitation in Tehran Province has plummeted by a massive 97% since Sept. 23 (beginning of the current water year), which is unprecedented in the last 50 years.
According to Mohammad Shahriari, the deputy for water and hydropower affairs at Tehran Regional Water Company, water flow into five dams around the capital was 2.214 billion cubic meters in the water year of two years ago (Sept. 2019-20), which have declined by 889 million cubic meters in the last water year (Sept. 2020-21), warning that water scarcity looms in the province.
“Dams supplying water to Tehran, including Taleqan, Latyan, Mamlou, Karaj and Lar, now hold a total of 477 million cubic meters of water, which are 252 mcm less than the same period of last year when it was 729 mcm,” he added.
Recently, thousands of protesters in Isfahan rallied against the government's water policies and inability to address the worsening water shortage.
