The country’s precipitation rate from the beginning of the current water year (started September 22, 2015) has decreased by 2% compared to the long-term average. The long-term average of rainfall has been estimated at 236 millimeters. Based on the latest report published by the Iran Water Resources Management Company, rainfall in the current water year has dropped to 231 millimeters (a 2% decline). On the bright side, it signifies a 26% rise compared to the previous water year (September 2014-15), which only saw 184 millimeters of rain. A 2013 study by the World Resources Institute ranked Iran as the world’s 24th most water-stressed nation, putting it at an extremely high risk of facing water scarcity, while the UN has labeled the water crisis as Iran’s “most important human security challenge in the coming decades”.
