Iran is suffering its worst water crisis of its entire modern existence. Decades of neglect and mismanagement of its water infrastructure by the Iranian government, along with geopolitical factors that have cut off Tehran’s access to the foremost experts in water management — the hated state of Israel — are two of the factors. So is the steep rise in Iran’s population, which went from 37 million when the ayatollahs’ regime took over to 90 million today, with the obvious concomitant rise in water use. The nuclear project that Iran’s rulers insist on continuing has cost the country tens of billions of dollars in both direct costs and from the sanctions imposed on Iran by the West — money that might have been spent on water conservation, advanced water-saving irrigation techniques, desalination plants, and even on the Watergen machines, a recent Israeli invention that produce drinking water from the circumambient air. Furthermore, the nuclear facilities require a great deal of water to keep them cooled so that there is no danger of meltdown. Then there are the effects of global warming, that increase the evaporation from lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. All of these contribute to creating the worst water crisis in Iran’s history. More on this crisis, to which there is no simple answer, can be found here: “Iran’s water crisis at tipping point in threat to Islamic regime’s stability,” by Ohad Merlin, Jerusalem Post, March 30, 2025:
“Iran is drying up,” Dr. Sharona Mazalian Levi from The Alliance Center for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University affirmed, painting a grim picture of what she described as one of the most pressing environmental challenges facing the Islamic Republic today.
“Iran is facing an unprecedented water crisis that threatens the nation’s stability,” Mazalian Levi said. She explained that multiple factors have converged to create this critical situation, with several major provinces now reaching what she deemed “a tipping point.”
According to Mazalian Levi, the Iranian Energy Ministry declared last week that the provinces of Tehran, Isfahan, Razavi Khorasan, and Yazd are facing a severe water crisis. She highlighted the alarming state of the Karaj Dam, which supplies water to millions in Tehran and the surrounding areas.
The water crisis is almost everywhere in Iran, but at its worst in four of the country’s main provinces, including Tehran. The Karaj Dam on which people in Tehran, the capital, rely, is down to only 6% of capacity. And the water level is still decreasing.
“The Karaj Dam is now at only 6% of its capacity,” she noted, referencing reports from Tasnim news agency that 94% of the reservoir is empty. “This isn’t just an environmental issue; it’s a potential catalyst for civil unrest and disorder that could lead to national instability.”
This water crisis should be distinguished from those which brought Iranian protesters out in the past. In 2009, they were protesting the lack of political freedom. In 2022, demonstrators came out across Iran to protest the killing of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish Iranian girl, by the morality police who had picked her up for incorrectly wearing her hijab. The water crisis transcends those; it affects everyone in Iran, even supporters of the regime.
Two of the main catalysts for the crisis are what Mazalian Levi named “poor management of the water sector,” as well as a population growth of more than 250% in only 50 years. “This includes over-extraction from natural water sources and aquifers to the point of depletion,” she added.
It ordinarily takes thousands of years for large aquifers to accumulate water, and it will take the same amount of time to fully replenish them.. That makes it essentially a non-renewable resource that Iran, which has recently had almost no rain or snowmelt, has been using up at a dizzying pace. It would have been much better for Iran had it instead relied on husbanding the water it uses for irrigation, and even more important, much better if it had built still more, and more advanced, desalination plants along its shore with the Persian Gulf in the south and the Caspian Sea in the north.
However, Mazalian Levi traced the origins of the crisis further back in history. According to the researcher, following the 1979 revolution, Iran found itself internationally isolated and was forced to develop an autarkic economic system. Religious leaders, including then-supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini, encouraged citizens to embrace farming and agriculture as a way of life, drawing from texts regarding the Prophet Muhammad himself.
When Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in 1979, Iran became a pariah state. The regime decided it would rely as little as possible on the outside world, and Iranians who had left the land to flock to the cities for work under the Shah were now encouraged to return to rural areas to grow food for the country. This increase in the agricultural economy required more water to be used. However, the water-saving irrigation methods developed by the Israelis, such as drip irrigation, and the advanced desalination plants in whose construction Israel is a world leader, were not available due to the ayatollahs’ determination to have nothing to do with the “Zionist entity.”
Tony Rice says
Allah ain’t doing his job , letting his folk go without water. Tehran’s dam down to 6% capacity.
OLD GUY says
Could the world be so lucky as to be rid of the current Islamic leaders in Iran, replaced with a moderate political leadership for the people of Iran.
PacosMojo says
“Then there are the effects of global warming, that increase the evaporation from lakes, rivers, and reservoirs”
Hugh Fitzgerald’s hard leftwing ideological bent is becoming quite obvious. Only a few weeks ago, he described Zelensky as a trustworthy ally of the US. You cannot separate the left from Islamic fascism, and both ideologies need destroyed root and branch. Why Robert puts up with this guy is anyone’s guess.
Hugh Fitzgerald says
I was unaware of any”leftwing ideological bent”on my part. Perhaps you have not read what I have written about Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Bernie Sanders? Or about Jeremy Corbyn,George Galloway, and Keir Starmer? Or about Marine Le Pen, Jordan Bardella, Oriana Fallaci, Alice Weidel, Emmanuel Macron, Giorgia Meloni? Or about Rashid Khalidi, Hamid Dabashi, Joseph Massad, Tariq Ramadan? Or about those BBC reporters consumed with Anti-Israel animus — John Simpson, Jeremy Bowen, Lyse Doucet, Orla Guerlin, and Yolande Knell? And what about all those pieces I’ve written about Mahmoud Abbas, Saeb Erekat, Ismail Haniyeh, Moussa Abu Marzouk, Khaled Meshaal, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, und so weiter? Or what I have written about Judea and Samaria, and the need for Israel to annex what the League of Nations always intended to belong to a future Jewish state? And what about my observations on the contents of the Qur’an and Hadith, and on the Muslim demographic threat to Europe? Does any of that suggest a “hard leftwing ideological bent”?
Finally, my series entitled “The Graves of Academe” — a running comical critique of American universities today, using only their own words to convict them of fashionable idiocy – could not possibly have been written by someone of a “hard”leftwing ideological bent.
gravenimage says
Spot on, Mr. Fizgerald.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
While Hugh has addressed a lot above, it’s worth noting that the only thing he is “Left” on is Climate-change. On some of the other issues, he’s very similar to Centrists who left the Dems due to obsession w/ fringe issues, like LGBTQ, race, and a few other things
On Ukraine, Hugh has long been somewhat anti-Russian, or at least anti-Putin, based on the fact that Putin has foreign policies very similar to the likes of Brezhnev back in the day, such as backing rogue regimes like Iran (and previously Syria). At any rate, support for Ukraine – once a bipartisan issue – has now collapsed, thanks to both it being an endless money sink on Ukraine’s part, and it being a diversion for the Left for problems faced by the West on the West’s, particularly America’s part
Finally, on climate change, I do think Hugh is a true believer, although he happens to be wrong. However, all the attacks on Teslas as well as on charging stations (which can charge any EV, not just Teslas) has exposed most Leftists as frauds even on this issue. Previously, some of them were just hypocrites, since they themselves used private jets to airdash to all sorts of exotic locales where virtue-signaling conferences were held, while they told the rest of us to bike to wherever. But now, by firebombing charging stations, which they had previously been lecturing us to use exclusively, instead of gas, they’ve shown themselves to be complete frauds on this issue
Truth is that environmental mismanagement can do irreparable damage to the earth’s environment, and usually, these are driven by ideologies like communism and islam. Just look at what used to be the Aral Sea in the last century: it dried up b’cos of the way the Soviets drained out the Amu-darya and Syr-darya for cultivating cotton, which was not a naturally occurring crop in Turan. Similarly, the reason Iran has a water crisis is that it has a regime, which instead of being interested in solving such problems, is more interested in backing jihadist groups like Hizbullah and the Houthis. Even Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and Emirates have focused a lot of their money on desalination plants for their people, in spite of islam. Iran could have followed their lead in this area at the very least
James Lincoln says
࿗Infidel࿘ says,
“…all the attacks on Teslas as well as on charging stations (which can charge any EV, not just Teslas) has exposed most Leftists as frauds even on this issue.”
Agree.
Leftists attacking Tesla vehicles is certainly ironic as
1. The majority of owners are Democrats.
2. And a burning Tesla – the result of a Molotov cocktail – causes significant air pollution.
That being said, I think that their “endgame” is to:
1. Significantly suppress sales of new vehicles.
2. Drive-up insurance costs.
3. Put downward pressure on Tesla stock in order to hurt Elon…
࿗Infidel࿘ says
James
Very true! I recall Bill Maher or somebody mock normal people in 2021 when gasoline prices started shooting up, claiming “It can be $17/gallon, and I won’t care. I drive a Tesla”
Many, if not most, conservatives know the issues w/ EVs, particularly Teslas. The cost of a battery, the cost of ownership (Teslas have their own towing service: your average AAA towing won’t cover it). the other added costs like charging times, limited distances, damage to infrastructure (EVs being much heavier due to their battery weights, replacing ICE vehicles w/ EVs will damage roads a lot faster than before). As a result, most will avoid buying it
Even for conservatives not up to speed w/ these issues, the mere price tag of most Teslas will discourage them. There are exceptions: I heard Ben Shapiro say that he owns one (not sure whether that’s his only car?), and Bobby Ritchie aka Kid Rock recently described how he took his new Cybertruck out hunting, and b’cos of how quiet it was, he had a lot more success shooting game. That last one sounds like a very niche advantage, although I’m happy for Kid Rock
I’d never buy a Tesla car, but Tesla homes – some of the models that company has put out – are intriguing. There are some models, like one < $8k, which could be very convenient for people like me who have to relocate often due to job relocation, and for whom moving is a major hassle. That’s something I’d look forward to, and hopefully, it’s not something that has caught the attention of Democrat arsonists. Besides, I plan to move that to a pretty Red state, where I wouldn’t have law enforcement that’s on the side of those thugs
James Lincoln says
Infidel,
Thank you for your reply.
No tailpipe emissions from EVs, but the cradle-to-grave effects on the environment are very substantial.
For me personally, until nonflammable batteries are available, I will not buy one.
gravenimage says
True, James–yet, a lot of people talk about electric vehicles as though they run on magic eco pixie dust.
Daniel Triplett says
Hugh’s a solid guy. I’ve been reading him for years, and haven’t sensed any Left wing bias. He’s right on target from my perspective.
gravenimage says
Agree, Daniel.
gravenimage says
The idea that not wanting your people to be raped and murdered by Russians is “hard leftwing” is just bizarre.
Dan Dagovitz says
Hot in Hell…
And not a drop of water to drink!
(Isaiah 55:1): O all who thirst, come for water.
(Jeremiah 23:29): “For are My words not like fire?”
I know this will not be popular comment, but divine retribution is shown prominently throughout the Torah/Old Testament.
somehistory says
A ‘Day of Divine Retribution” is coming to the earth. There are more who comment here who will agree with you than those who will mock or dislike your comment.
Captain Quirk says
Here’s what Trump should be saying about Iran: ‘Bomb baby, bomb!’
Burnaby Lad says
iran cannot fail and russian bitches are all about that.
Alkflaeda says
Part of the problem, as I see it, is that if you have a god who is a capricious tyrannical bully (Allah can even conceive a hatred for a man without reason, and instruct his angels accordingly), it saps your ability to be creative or proactive.
Ralph says
If all the billions Iran has spent on nuclear weapons development had been spent on desalination plants, Iran would have all the water it needs.
Troybeam says
The theocratic government of Iran simply stopped caring for the nations well being. They let everything fall apart and now facing a huge problem: no water to farm, take care of the animals and finally the people. all mention need water to survive and you can surly bet the rulers will have all the water they need and no one else will have any.
If any water is brought in for relief and rationed it still will not be enough.
gravenimage says
In Iran, the Water Crisis May Bring Down the Government
……………………………………..
Boy, I hope so…
Ov course, Israel could help with that–but Iran would never take advice from the despisd Joooooooos.