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Iran Faces Water Bankruptcy: Capital May Relocate
1 Dec, 2025
Summary
- Tehran faces 'Day Zero' water scarcity due to severe drought.
- Capital relocation is being considered to address water stress.
- Decades of over-reliance on water have led to 'water bankruptcy'.
Iran is confronting a severe drought, one of the worst in recent decades, leading to critically low water levels in reservoirs and threatening Tehran with 'Day Zero' water scarcity. This crisis is the result of decades of unsustainable water resource management, including heavy reliance on water-intensive agriculture and overpumping of groundwater.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has re-emphasized a long-discussed plan to move the capital from Tehran, a metropolis of 15 million people, acknowledging the city's growing uninhabitability due to water stress, subsidence, pollution, and seismic risks. This potential relocation signals the government's recognition of the extreme environmental pressures impacting national security.
Experts suggest that addressing Iran's 'water bankruptcy' requires bold, coordinated actions focusing on decoupling the economy from water consumption, promoting less water-intensive agriculture, and improving urban water management. Without tackling these root causes, relocating the capital is unlikely to resolve the fundamental water supply and demand imbalance.
