“Continuous water cuts and a sharp drop in pressure mean apartment buildings quickly run dry,” a Tehran resident tells the BBC Persian service.

“When the power goes out, the internet and elevators also stop working…”

“The situation is becoming unbearable, especially with the summer heat and the massive air pollution. And if there is a small child or an elderly person at home, it is even worse, because sometimes they have to endure these conditions for hours,” says the woman, who asks not to be identified.

Across Iran, water shortages and frequent power outages have fueled growing public frustration.

From the high-rise apartments of the capital to the villages of Khuzestan and Sistan-Baluchestan, life is being disrupted in ways many find intolerable.

After five consecutive years of drought and record-breaking heat, Tehran is on the brink of running out of water.

Water levels in reservoirs are at historic lows, blackouts are common, and tempers are flaring.

“Day Zero”

Authorities warn that without a significant reduction in consumption, in Within weeks, some areas of the capital could face “day zero” – the moment when household taps are turned off and water is delivered by standpipes or tankers.

They reiterated these warnings earlier this year and continue to issue them regularly.

The alarm comes after extreme summer temperatures and growing strain on Iran’s aging electricity grid.

“This is not just a water crisis, but ‘water bankruptcy’ – a system so overtaxed that the damage can no longer be fully reversed,” Professor Kaveh Madani, director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, told the BBC.

Daniel Tsegai of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD),He adds that Iran illustrates what happens when water scarcity, land degradation, climate change, and poor governance converge. He says this is a stark warning for other countries. What would “day zero” mean in Tehran? In practice, on “day zero,” hospitals and essential services would be prioritized, while water in homes would be rationed. Authorities could cut off supplies to entire neighborhoods on a rotating basis. Wealthier households could install rooftop storage tanks; The poorest families would struggle.

“Human beings are very resilient and adapt quickly,” says Professor Kaveh Madani, a former deputy director of Iran’s Department of Environment.

“My biggest concern is that if next year is also dry, next summer will be even tougher.”

The BBC asked Iran’s Foreign Office, embassy, ??and consulate in London for details of the country’s plans to tackle water shortages.

However, they have not responded to emails or a letter hand-delivered to the embassy.

Critically low reservoirs

The capital, Tehran, is Iran’s largest city and is home to nearly 10 million people.

It relies on five main dams.

One of these, the Lar Dam, is virtually dry, operating at just 1% of its level normal, according to the company that runs it.

President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged residents to cut consumption by at least 20%.

Official figures show demand fell 13% in July, compared with last year.

However, authorities say another 12% reduction is needed to maintain supplies through September and October.

Government buildings in Tehran and other cities regularly close to save energy, prompting complaints from businesses of financial damage.

From drought to 'water bankruptcy'

Official figures show rainfall over the past year has been 40-45% below the long-term average.

In some provinces, it has fallen by more than 70%. But climate is only part of the story.

“This is not a water crisis,” Madani argues. “It’s water bankruptcy: a situation where the damage is no longer fully reversible and mitigation is no longer adequate.”

For decades, Iran has consumed more water than nature provides, first by depleting rivers and reservoirs, and then exploiting groundwater reserves.

“Aridity didn’t cause this on its own,” Madani says. “Poor management and overuse created the crisis long before climate change intensified it.”

Agriculture consumes about 90 percent of Iran’s water, much of it through inefficient irrigation. Water-intensive crops like rice and sugarcane are grown in arid regions.

Leaks

In Tehran, up to 22 percent of treated water is lost through leaks in deteriorating pipes.

Yet water systems around the world are similarly wasteful. Water News Europe reports that 25% of the European Union's drinking water is lost to leaks.

Iran's groundwater has suffered significant over-exploitation since the 1970s; More than 70% of reserves have been depleted, according to some estimates.

In some districts, the ground is sinking as much as 25 cm a year due to the collapse of aquifers (permeable rock or other naturally occurring material that allows water to flow underground).

This accelerates water loss.

Energy shock: when dry dams turn out the lights

The water shortage has also led to an energy crisis.

With reservoirs empty, hydroelectric output has plummeted, and gas-fired plants are struggling to meet the surging demand for air conditioning and water pumps.

In July, the state news agency IRNA reported that electricity demand peaked at 69,000 megawatts, well above the roughly 62,000 megawatts needed for a reliable supply.

Blackouts of two to four hours daily are common.

Media and politicians say power outages hit the poorest residents hardest, with only wealthier people often having generators.

Government Response

Iran’s Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said, “The supply of clean water is a priority and should be available to everyone.”

Referring to attempts to save water, Aliabadi said, “With the measures taken this year, we have managed to save three times the water we transport.”

The government has faced criticism for allowing energy-intensive cryptocurrency mining (the generation of electronic currency) to continue during rationing.

Some cryptocurrency operations are alleged to have political connections.

In response, authorities say they are targeting illegal sites and prioritizing supply to households.

Alibadi accuses illegal cryptocurrency operations of draining the electricity supply, stating that it has been “very difficult to detect and eliminate active miners in this field.”

With anger on the streets, geopolitics intrude

Protests have erupted in several provinces, including Khuzestan and Sistan-Baluchestan, where shortages are most acute.

Protesters say access to water, electricity, and life is a fundamental right.

As wells and canals dry up, environmental migration is accelerating.

Many families are moving to Tehran in search of jobs, services, and better infrastructure.

Analysts warn that This trend could exacerbate instability as the city absorbs displaced people.

The crisis has also impacted geopolitics. Following the June 2025 conflict with Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlighted his country’s desalination and recycling technologies.

In a message to Iranians, he stated that they could benefit from them “when your country is free.”

The Tehran government dismissed these claims as “political theater,” with President Pezeshkian citing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Daniel Tsegai of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification says Iran is not alone in the region.

Across West Asia, multi-year droughts are undermining food security, stability, and human rights. They affect agriculture, energy, health, transportation, and tourism.

A global warning

Daniel Tsegai argues that the world is entering an era of man-made droughts, driven by climate change and the overexploitation of land and water. Iran, he argues, is an example of what happens when scarcity, land degradation, and poor governance converge.

Globally, droughts have increased by 29% since 2000, according to the United Nations. If current trends continue, three out of four people could be affected by 2050.

Cape Town’s drought between 2015 and 2018, when the South African city imposed per capita limits and increased fares, is often cited as a model for a proactive response.

Tsegai says: “We know the technical solutions; what we need is to translate knowledge into policy and policy into practice.”

“The question is not if drought will come, but when.”

Looking ahead

Experts say solutions exist, but urgent, coordinated action is needed across water, energy, and land policies.

Iran has pledged to reduce domestic water consumption by 45 billion cubic meters a year for seven years through reuse, drip irrigation, and improved supply.

These ambitious goals are being held back by international sanctions, red tape, and a lack of investment.

“Ultimately, Iran must accept its water bankruptcy,” says environmentalist Kaveh Madani. “The longer the government delays acknowledging its failure and funding a different development model, the less likely it is to avoid collapse.”

And he issues a stark warning: the weather won’t determine whether Tehran’s taps remain open during the hottest months, but rather how quickly the authorities act.