Iranian Dams Only 39% Full

EghtesadOnline: Dams across Iran has the capacity to hold 50.5 billion cubic meters of water, but currently only 39% of their total capacity is filled, which is due to lower precipitation in the past water year (September 2020-21).

News ID: ۷۸۷۰۵۲

20 September 2021

At present, dams in the country hold 19.63 billion cubic meters of water while the figure was 27.75 bcm this time last year, marking a 29% decline compared to a year ago, ISNA reported.

Almost all major dams in the country have less water compared to the previous year.

Since the beginning of the current water year, the total volume of water inflow into dams has been 29.35 bcm, which was 55.61 bcm in the same period of last year. This indicates a 47% decline in dam water inflow.

Water outflow from dams has reached 36.83 bcm while the figure was 56.1 bcm last year, showing a 34% decrease.

Lower rainfall and water levels in dams have been worsened by the rise in temperature and the spread of coronavirus, which have increased water consumption for cooling purposes and improving hygiene.

Following the outbreak of Covid-19 about a year and a half ago and the need to observe health safety measures, water consumption has soared because of regular handwashing and cleaning. The pattern is universal and is causing anxiety among water managers.

Since the beginning of the pandemic in Iran in February 2020, water consumption in some cities has increased by up to 45%.

Tehran Dams in Critical Conditions

The current water year, which ends in a few days, has been Iran’s worst in the past 50 years, the head of Tehran Water and Wastewater Company said.

“This year, the water resources of Tehran Province were critical. We had a 35% decline in rainfall, a deficit of 380 million cubic meters in dam reservoirs and a rise in temperature of about 3 degrees Celsius. However, we passed the summer without any water cuts or even pressure reduction across the province,” ISNA also quoted Mohammad Reza Bakhtiari as saying.

According to the official, currently about 30% of the five dams supplying water to Tehran are full.

The dams, including Taleqan, Latyan, Mamlou, Amir Kabir and Lar, can together hold 2 bcm of water.

They are holding about 600 million cubic meters of water, which is around 40% less than the amount they had in storage last year.