Iran is drought-prone; indeed, it is the middle of the most severe drought in 57 years, but that isn’t what is causing the current crisis. It is the logical and foreseeable outcome of decades of environmental neglect and Soviet-style mismanagement that has turned a naturally arid climate into a national emergency.
Iran’s groundwater has been depleted, primarily in an effort to surge agriculture to deal with a booming population. Tehran is sinking at a rate of 25 cm per year as the aquifers collapse. This poses a threat to utilities, subways, and the structural integrity of buildings. It is hard to imagine that the settling hasn't caused leaks in water mains.
To be clear, this is not a Tehran problem; this is an Iran problem. The drought affects the whole country, and 30 of Iran’s 31 provinces are experiencing land subsidence due to unchecked groundwater extraction. //
roggeo
9 hours ago
The Caspian Sea is only about 70 miles from Tehran, and while brackish, it has only about 1/3 the salt of seawater. The Mullahs should have spent their money on desalination plants rather than nuclear weapons, and if I can come to that conclusion in 30 seconds, I bet the Iranian people can as well.
20th Century Ltd roggeo
8 hours ago edited
And guess who the local experts are in water desalination? Yes, the inventor of the reverse osmosis (RO) process - those dastardly Jews in Israel.
Imagine how much it grinds the Mullah's gears to think about that fact. //
Buzzkill59
9 hours ago edited
If I remember correctly,several years ago Israel offered Iran and other countries in the area plans for desalination plants free of charge in the interest of regional peace but Iran and several other Muslim nations refused because they didn’t trust Israel! Now they’re thirsty… //
American by Nature Nashvillian
6 hours ago
Iran's situation reminds me of ancient Ephesus at the time of Saint Paul. Ephesus was a bustling sea port, an important hub of Mediterranean commerce.
One day his preaching caused a riot. Paul was expelled to Rome where he was eventually executed.
The Meander River which meandered through the countryside and through Ephesus to the sea, began depositing mega tons of silt until Ephesus was miles inland and no longer a port city.
Ephesus died.
Iran is dying.
