Tehran’s water demand has hit 3.3 million cubic meters a day, exacerbated by sweltering temperatures that sometimes exceed 40 degrees Celsius, according to Mehr News Agency. Excessive water use in the Iranian capital has compelled officials to adopt stricter measures on water resources management. “We have planned to reduce groundwater use by 100 million cubic meters in the current year (started March 20),” said Khosrow Erteqaei, an official at the Energy Ministry. About 28% of Tehran’s total consumed water are supplied from groundwater resources. Groundwater resources have a slow rate of recharge, so “they will not be replenished with a year of above-average rainfall”. Annually, 33 billion cubic meters of groundwater are replenished, but we siphon 58 billion cubic meters. That means we are 33 billion cubic meters over the limit. “In other words, we’re tapping into ancient water reserves that have accumulated underground over millions of years,” says Isa Kalantari, a former agriculture minister. Per capita water use in Tehran frequently exceeds 250 liters a day, while according to the World Health Organization, every person should make do with 150 liters per day.
