There are no plans to announce restrictions on water use this summer in Tehran Province, the head of Tehran Water and Wastewater Company said.
"The company has forecast water consumption to soar over the next two summer months. Nonetheless, there are no plans to ration water anywhere in the province," ISNA also quoted Mohammad Reza Bakhtiari as saying.
Blaming recent power cuts for disruptions in water supply or lower water pressure in some areas, he noted that a part of water in the province is extracted from deep wells with the help of pumps that are not equipped with diesel generators.
However, the official did not elaborate on the reason for not rationing water in Tehran Province.
“Due to frequent outages, pumps cannot function properly and water supply is interrupted whenever electricity is disconnected,” he added.
According to the official, if outages persist, potable water will be supplied via tankers in rural areas.
There are some disruptions in water supply due to ruptures and maintenance operations, he added.
Average water consumption in most cities and towns has declined from 250 liters per day to 150 liters, whereas the figure hovers around 300 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 170,000 heavy consumers (those who consume more than 30,000 liters per month) have been notified by TWWC and their supply will be cut off as of July 21 unless they curb consumption.”
Unsustainable Pattern
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 50% compared to a few years ago”.
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 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.
Some experts and environmentalists denounce a 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 across 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 10,000 rials (4 cents) while supplying the same to rural areas costs higher.
