Since the beginning of the current water year (September 2020), the level of water in dams across Iran has declined by 30% year-on-year.
Currently, dams in the country have 28.01 billion cubic meters of water while the figure was 39.06 bcm last year. The total capacity of dams in Iran is 50.5 bcm and they are now 56% full, ISNA reported.
Since the start of the water year, the total volume of water inflow into dams has been 26.06 bcm. In the same period of last year, it was 49.42 bcm. This shows a 47% decline in dam water inflow this year.
Water outflow from dams has reached 25.19 bcm while it was 38.88 bcm in the first nine months of last water year.
The decline in precipitation in the current water year is the key factor that has reduced the water level in dams. This is while the rise in temperature and the spread of coronavirus have forced households to consume more water for cooling purposes and improving hygiene.
Following the outbreak of Covid-19 about a year and a half ago and the need to observe personal hygiene safety measures, water consumption has soared because of regular handwashing and cleaning. The pattern is universal and is causing anxiety among water managers.
Since the beginning of the pandemic in Iran in February 2020, water consumption in some cities has increased by up to 45%.
Except for Rais Ali Dilavari Dam in Bushehr Province, other major dams in the country have less water compared to a year ago. Shamil and Nian dams in Hormozgan Province have had the largest decline as their storage levels have dropped by 79%.
Chah-Nimeh water reservoirs and dams in Sistan-Baluchestan Province are also in poor conditions.
Chah-Nimeh reservoirs are three natural and big cavities in the southern Sistan Plain. Surplus water from Hirmand River flows into them through a canal. These reservoirs have a capacity of 700 million cubic meters. However, 355 mcm evaporate annually from them. To make a bad situation worse, this year their storage level has fallen by 73%, as they have received less water.
Tehran Dams, Consumption
Dams supplying water to Tehran Province have seen a 30% decline in stored water volume this year compared to last year.
The five dams hold 791 million cubic meters of water, suggesting that they are 42% full.
The dams around Tehran include Taleqan, Latyan, Mamlou, Amir Kabir and Lar. Together, they can hold 2 billion cubic meters of water.
Tehran’s population density is 973 per square kilometer, which is 20 times over and above the national average. With nearly 13.5 million people, the capital has a 16.5% share of total population.
Tehran accounts for less than 1.1% of the country’s land area, but is home to 16.5% of the population and 45% of the industrial base.
These have raised water consumption in the capital compared to other cities.
According to data from the Energy Ministry, the average Iranian uses 250 liters of water per day, while per capita water consumption in metropolises such as Tehran may exceed 300 liters.
Last month, soaring temperatures (35°C and above) have made a majority of households and businesses crank up traditional cooling systems that are very water-intensive.
