Water consumption in Tehran has surpassed 40,000 liters per second or 3 billion liters per day, up 11% compared to the hot summer days when consumption peaks at 2.7 billion liters.
The National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company of Iran (Abfa) has appealed to residents to avoid waste and postpone spring cleaning, ISNA reported.
Nonetheless, statistics show most households have so far largely turned a deaf ear to the warning and they are busy cleaning their houses and washing their carpets to welcome the Norouz (Iranian New Year) holiday season that starts on March 21.
Referring to global standards, Abfa said a four-member family's average water use is 15 cubic meters per month in the world, whereas in Tehran it is 30 cubic meters for almost 40% of households.
According to Mohammad Reza Bakhtiari, the head of Tehran Water and Wastewater Company, there are no plans to restrict water use, but if subscribers do not rethink their imprudent consumption pattern, a significant decrease in water pressure in some areas will be inevitable.
Average water consumption in most cities and towns is around 200 liters per day, whereas the figure hovers around 305 liters for at least 40% of households in Tehran.
“Tehran Province accounts for 25% of total water consumption in Iran, which is around 100 billion cubic meters,” he said.
“Close to 370,000 heavy consumers [using more than 30,000 liters per month] have been notified by TWWC and their supply will be cut off unless they curb consumption.”
This is while Tehran Province’s population comprises 17.5% of the country’s total population.
Unsustainable consumption pattern seriously threatens water supply in the sprawling capital amid low rainfall and persistent drought.
According to the official, average annual precipitation in Tehran Province “has decreased by 46% compared to a year ago”.
Supply Plight
Pointing to Tehran's water supply plight, Bakhtiari said, “Most people realize the severity of the problem, so they must consume water more responsibly. In short, daily water consumption of Tehran’s residents should not surpass 250 liters.”
“State and private organizations should also be compelled to use water more judiciously to help mitigate the impact of the unprecedented water shortage in Tehran,” he said.
He warned that if the current situation persists, there will be no option but to impose fines on households with high consumption levels.
Experts and environmentalists denounce the widely-held notion that chronic water shortages can be alleviated only by higher precipitation.
Desertification, climate change, illegal water wells, wasteful farming practices, water-intensive industries in arid regions and injudicious use of water in households are known to have a far greater impact on the worsening crisis.
Reportedly, there are 13,000 legal and 32,000 illegal water wells in Tehran Province alone.
“Injudicious consumption acro ss Tehran Province over the past 15 years has taken a toll on water resources to such an extent that we’re using 150 million cubic meters of renewable water more than we should,” the official said.
Referring to programs to help reduce consumption, Bakhtiari said households should be encouraged to use domestic water-saving accessories (ranging from shower heads to taps, flush reducers to bathwater diverters) as it can cut consumption by 30%.
Water is heavily subsidized in Iran. While urban consumers pay 43% of its real price, only 23% of the production cost are paid by rural residents. The production of 1 cubic meter of water for urban use costs 4 cents while supplying the same to rural areas costs higher.
