TEHRAN: A severe heatwave has disrupted water and electricity supplies across much of Iran, with reservoir levels dropping to their lowest point in a century, state media reported.
At least 18 of the country’s 31 provinces, including Tehran, have been affected by extreme temperatures that began on Friday and are expected to ease by Thursday.
Government offices in 10 provinces, including the capital, will close on Wednesday to conserve resources as temperatures in southern and southwestern Iran soared above 50 degrees Celsius.
At least 10 provincial capitals recorded temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius on Monday, with Tehran reaching 40 degrees for the first time this year.
The heatwave coincides with a sharp drop in rainfall, the worst in 60 years for Tehran, according to the Provincial Water Supply Company.
The company warned that dam water levels supplying the capital have hit their lowest in a century, advising residents to use tanks and pumps amid ongoing disruptions.
Many in Tehran reported water outages lasting several hours in recent days.
“The water crisis is more serious than what is being talked about,“ President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday.
He warned that without action, Iran could “face a situation in the future for which no solution can be found.”
He added that transferring water from other regions would not solve the problem fundamentally. – AFP
