TEHRAN: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Thursday that dams supplying the capital could run dry within months unless water consumption was curbed.

“If we in Tehran cannot manage the situation, and if people do not cooperate with us and we fail to control consumption, there will be no water left behind our dams,” Pezeshkian said during a visit to Zanjan, in the northwest. The president said reserves may be depleted by October ­­— the first month of autumn in the Persian calendar, when schools reopen and demand typically rises before the start of the rainy season. According to an infographic shared by state news agency IRNA, reservoirs serving Tehran are at just 20pc capacity.

Published in Dawn, Aug 1st, 2025