Iran is on the verge of what experts refer to as water bankruptcy due to decades of poor management and an extended drought.
In Tehran, the capital of Iran, which is home to some 10 million people, the authorities have started restricting water supplies due to empty reservoirs and record-low rainfall.
Parts of Tehran may have to be evacuated due to the water problem, and President Masud Pezeshkian has even hinted at the prospect of relocating the capital.
According to Kaveh Madani, head of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health in Canada, the authorities' warnings were insufficient.

"The level of their warnings is too low compared to the reality on the ground," Madani, a former deputy head of Iran's Department of Environment, told Radio Farda of RFE/RL.
"The government is being too cautious because it doesn't want to stress the public and upset people even more," he stated.
When demand outpaces supply and resource deterioration is irreversible, water bankruptcy occurs. It is frequently motivated by what analysts claim are foolish government initiatives meant to promote growth and agriculture.
How Serious Is the Water Crisis in Iran?
Iran is currently experiencing its worst drought in around 60 years."We'll have to begin water rationing in [November] if it doesn't rain. Pezeshkian stated earlier this month, "We simply won't have water and will have to evacuate Tehran if the lack of rainfall continues past that." However, some officials have attempted to minimize the necessity of relocating the capital.
Tehran's water supplies have been cut off in the evenings since last week. Additionally, the authorities have urged citizens to limit their usage during the day. Other regions of Iran have not yet reported water rationing.
At just 11% of their total capacity, the five major reservoirs that supply water to Tehran are at historically low levels.Three of the four dams that serve Mashhad, the second-largest city in Iran with 4 million inhabitants, are no longer operational, and reservoirs have dropped to 3% of their full capacity.
Over 20 dams are holding less than 5% of their capacity, while 19 large dams, which make up 10% of Iran's reservoirs, have run entirely empty.
What's the strategy?
Iranian leaders have not yet offered a detailed strategy for handling the situation.
Iranian authorities usually minimize crises in order to shift responsibility and prevent panic. However, officials' suggestion that Tehran might be evacuated has shown how serious and urgent the situation is.Pezeshkian assured his detractors in the parliament earlier this week that he would "give those who claim they can resolve the water problem full authority" to address the scarcity of water.
According to Madani, the public's mistrust of the government exacerbates the situation.
"Society is not aware of how terrible the situation is, and the government is scared of asking people to reduce consumption," he stated.
In recent years, protests have been prompted by water shortages all over Iran, most notably in Khuzestan Province, where rallies in July 2021 were met with a brutal crackdown.
Although there are short-term solutions, experts believe that in order to prevent a disaster, significant reforms and difficult policy choices are required.In order to address the issue in the long run, Azam Bahrami, an Italian specialist in sustainable development, told Radio Farda that planning and an evaluation of water waste are necessary.
"We've wasted a lot of water trying to become self-sufficient in the production of many things," she stated.
According to reports, Iran produces 85% of its food needs domestically as part of a self-sufficiency policy motivated by decades of international sanctions and intended to lessen reliance on international grain markets.
However, experts have long cautioned that Iran, which is mostly desert, lacks the water resources necessary to support it.