Iranian authorities have begun a cloud seeding operation to induce rainfall in the country that is facing an acute water shortage. Tehran authorities were scrambling to find a solution as the country's water resources have dried up.
"Today, a cloud seeding flight was conducted in the Urmia Lake basin for the first time in the current water year," an IRNA news agency reported on Saturday.
Lake Urmia, one of the Middle East’s largest salt lakes, have reportedly completely dried up and has been reduced to a bed of salt.
Cloud seeding is a process that involves spraying silver iodide and salt into clouds to trigger rain. Last year, Tehran announced that it had developed its own technology for the practice.
The country's reservoirs have reached historically low levels as one of its major dams has completely dried out.
Officials even considered evacuating a city of 10 million if there was no sign of water or rain in Tehran by next month.
President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Friday that if there is no rainfall in the country soon, Tehran’s water supply would have to be rationed, and if rationing is not enough to prevent a disaster, “we may have to evacuate Tehran."
One of Tehran’s main water sources, the Latian dam, is now almost empty, according to its manager. The manager of Karaj Dam told the BBC that there was a 92 per cent decrease in rain from last year and that the 8 per cent water left in the reservoir is considered dead water and is unusable.
What has caused the water shortage?
Researchers say that the main causes of the water shortage include long-term impacts of climate change, mismanagement of water resources, dam construction, and inefficient agriculture.
Studies say that more than 90 per cent of Iran’s water is extracted for farming, and much of it is lost due to inefficient farming methods. The countries' dam-building projects have also disrupted ecosystems, which has led to the draining of lakes and wetlands. Lake Urmia, of of the Middle East’s largest salt lakes, have completely dried up and has been reduced to a bed of salt.
Iran's water crisis also affects its neighbours, as the country shares its water bodies with Afghanistan and Iraq. The country has already had tensions with the Taliban over the Helmand River.
The leadership in the country is at odds with each other when it comes to proposing solutions.
A former Tehran mayor, Gholamhossein Karbaschi, criticised the president's suggestion of evacuating a whole city, calling it a “joke”
Iran Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said that using Persian Gulf water for Tehran can be done as a last resort.
The minister said that large desalination sites were being built in Chabahar, Bandar Abbas, and Khuzestan to strengthen water supplies in the south and draw in private investment. Once the water supply in the south is strengthened, the water upstream could be saved for tehrand the northern regions, the minister said. He also said that the idea needed a detailed study.
The idea was criticised by Former transport minister Abbas Akhoundi, who said that it overlooks environmental limits and the long-term cost for the public.
Water specialists have said that Iran is nearing what they describe as water bankruptcy, which means that the water has exceeded demand for years, and the reserves feeding the major cities have been depleted.