Water consumption in Tehran reached a peak of 3.2 billion liters per day between March 6 and April 16, up 90% compared with the same period of last year, the deputy for water and hydropower affairs at Tehran Regional Water Company said.
“The alarming uptrend is even 11% more compared with last year’s summer days when consumption usually hits 2.7 billion liters per day,” IRNA also quoted Mohammad Shahriari as saying.
Tehran has received 155 millimeters of rainfall since Sept. 23, 2021, (the beginning of the current water year), indicating a 28% decline over a 53-year period.
The official said water flow into five dams around the capital has reached 136 million cubic meters over the past three weeks, while the figure stood at 216 mcm last year, warning that water scarcity looms in the province.
“Dams supplying water to Tehran, including Taleqan, Latyan, Mamlou, Karaj and Lar, now hold a total of 453 million cubic meters of water, which are 265 mcm less than in the same period of last year when it was 717 mcm,” he added.
The five dams together can hold 2 billion cubic meters of water, but now they are less than 25% full.
According to the official, 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 bad conditions.
Referring to global standards, Shahriari said a four-member family's average water use is 15 cubic meters per month in the world, whereas in Tehran it is 30 cubic meters for almost 40% of households.
According to Mohammad Reza Bakhtiari, the head of Tehran Water and Wastewater Company, there are no plans to restrict water use, but if subscribers do not rethink their imprudent consumption pattern, a significant decrease in water pressure in some areas will be inevitable.
Average water consumption in most cities and towns is around 200 liters per day, whereas the figure hovers around 305 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 370,000 heavy consumers [using more than 30,000 liters per month] have been notified by TWWC and their supply will be cut off unless they curb consumption.”
This is while Tehran Province’s population comprises 17.5% of the country’s total population.
Unsustainable Pattern
Unsustainable consumption pattern seriously threatens water supply in the sprawling capital amid low rainfall and persistent drought.
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 the unprecedented water shortage in Tehran,” he added.
He warned that if the current situation persists, there will be no option but to impose fines on households with high consumption levels.
Experts and environmentalists denounce the 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 water use 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 costs are paid by rural residents.
The production of 1 cubic meter of water for urban use costs 4 cents while supplying the same to rural areas costs higher.
