Water Scarcity: Are We At the End of the World?

Iran is considering moving its capital due to severe water shortages that render Tehran unsustainable.

Experts believe the crisis is due to poorly planned dam projects and excessive groundwater extraction, which have damaged a centuries-old system for accessing underground water.

Beyond sanctions and recent bombardments, Iran’s most pressing threat is what hydrologists call “water bankruptcy.” The crisis is caused by climate change and the destruction of thousands of ancient qanats, which sustainably accessed underground water.

Despite calls for restoration and replenishment of water reserves, the Iranian government has taken little action. After five years of severe drought, Iran’s water crisis has reached unprecedented levels.

Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has suggested moving the capital from the dry city of Tehran, with around 10 million residents, to wetter coastal areas. This project, projected to take decades and cost up to $100 billion, aims to address ongoing rainfall shortages.

The government blames climate change for the current crisis, but a former deputy head of Iran’s environmental department contends it resulted not just from climate change but from decades of poor planning.

To address water shortages in growing cities, Iran became one of the world’s top three dam builders in the late 20th century. Many dams have been built on unsustainable rivers, causing significant water loss from evaporation and reduced downstream flow.

This has led to dried-up wetlands and nearly empty reservoirs. Recently, Iran’s president suggested relocating the capital as Tehran’s reservoirs are only 12 percent full.

The Pashdan Dam, operational since August, enables Afghanistan to control 80 percent of the Harirud River’s flow, threatening water supplies in eastern Iran, including Mashhad. Over the past 40 years, Iranians have drilled over a million wells for irrigation, resulting in significant over-extraction of once-abundant aquifers.

The majority of Iran’s underground water reserves have been depleted, with over 210 cubic kilometers (about 50 cubic miles) lost in the first two decades of this century. A recent international study found that 32 of the world’s 50 most overpumped aquifers are in Iran.

A geographer at University College London warns that the West Qazvin Plain, Arsanjan Basin, Baladeh Basin, and Rashtkhar aquifers are experiencing significant water table declines of up to 10 feet per year. Agriculture is the main cause of this excessive extraction.

In Iran, around 90 percent of water from rivers and aquifers is used for agriculture. However, the number of wells has nearly doubled since 2000, leading to an 18 percent drop in water extraction.

Many previously irrigated fields are now barren, and hydrologists warn that Iran is nearing “water bankruptcy.” The ongoing construction of dams and wells is worsening the crisis as rivers continue to dry up.

“If climate change was a shark, water is its teeth.”

2 Chronicles 7:13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send diseases among my people;

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attend unto the prayer that is made in this place

Luke 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and diseases; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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