Water scarcity engulfs Iran, affecting all provinces

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that water stress now affects every province across the country, without exception. 

During an open session of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, he specifically pointed to persistent tensions among regions such as Isfahan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Khuzestan, and Yazd, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The president said ongoing disputes between provinces offer no solution, stressing that such conflicts would not exist if adequate water resources were available in the first place.

He emphasised that the government is determined to follow scientific guidance provided by universities and experts, and called on lawmakers to place their confidence in specialists and academic research.

According to the president, decisions grounded in science, even when they face difficulties in practice, can be reviewed, corrected, and refined, whereas non-expert decisions have historically aggravated existing crises.

Referring to studies carried out with the involvement of specialists in water resources, agriculture, irrigation, sociology, economics, and management, Pezeshkian said these assessments point to a continuous worsening of the country’s water conditions.

He underlined that both national and international research confirms the crisis extends across all provinces and cannot be resolved simply by reallocating or redistributing water.

The president also likened the water crisis to Tehran’s air pollution problem, saying both stem from patterns of development that have exceeded the country’s environmental carrying capacity.

By Jeyhun Aghazada