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Water pressure plummets in Tehran

After years of warnings about an impending water crisis, Tehranis are experiencing dramatic drops in water pressure and now face the likely prospect of water rationing.

A picture taken on September 17, 2014 shows a partial view of Lar dam's reservoir located some 70 kms northeast of the capital Tehran, at the foot of Damavand mountain, in the town of Damavand. The Iranian authorities have warned and urged the people of Tehran to drastically reduce their water consumption, as three of the five dams supplying the capital are almost empty.  AFP PHOTO/ISNA/HAMIDREZA DASJJERDI        (Photo credit should read HAMIDREZA DASTJERDI/AFP/Getty Images)
A partial view of the Lar Dam's almost empty reservoir in Damavand, 40 miles northeast of Tehran, Sept. 17, 2014. — HAMIDREZA DASTJERDI/AFP/Getty Images

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has been threatened by a water crisis for years, a situation that is being worsened by the mismanagement of scarce water resources. In just a few more years, the Water and Sanitation Organization may become unable to supply drinking water to densely populated urban areas in the country, including Tehran.

Tehran’s population has ballooned so immensely in the past decade that Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian has warned of an impending failure to supply clean and safe drinking water to residents should the capital’s population — currently hovering at 12 million — continue to rise, Hamshahri newspaper reported on Aug. 22. “The water-security problem is very serious in Tehran and needs to be addressed immediately,” Chitchian said.

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