Water consumption in Tehran Province in the first 10 days of fall did not change from the hot summer days and more than 3 billion liters of water were consumed per day.
The high volume of water consumption in Tehran was expected to decrease with the beginning of the fall, however, according to Tehran Water and Wastewater Company, on the first day of fall (Sept. 23), 3.45 billion liters of water were consumed in the province with the highest population density and almost the same volume of water was used during the next nine days.
This level of consumption is not different from what volume consumed during the peak days of summer, IRNA reported.
Water consumption is still high in Tehran while according to the Meteorological Organization’s forecast, the amount of rainfall in October and November will drop noticeably compared to the long-term average.
This is bad news for the megalopolis, considering the fact that precipitation in Tehran in the last water year (September 2021-22) dropped by 26% compared to the long-term average. And less rainfall will adversely affect dam reservoirs and water supply to different sectors.
The amount of water entering the five dams supplying water to Tehran shows a 16% decline compared to the last water year.
With the beginning of fall and the new water year, there is only 411 million cubic meters of water stored in the five dams, 89 mcm less than the same time of last year. This is while the five dams together can hold 2 billion cubic meters of water.
Almost 30% of potable water demand in the province can be met through dams and the rest must be extracted from underground resources, which are already in a bad state.
The unsustainable consumption pattern seriously threatens water supply in the sprawling capital amid low rainfall and persistent drought.
