Environment

Iranwire – Tehran, Iran’s bustling capital and home to almost 9 million people, is grappling with a severe water shortage leaving its citizens in distress and even a bit parched. Summer temperatures in the city are already exceeding 30 degrees celsius and reports are spreading through social media channel of the hardships being endured. Images and videos circulating online show …

RFL/RE – Residents of Tehran are reporting a fifth consecutive day of water cuts despite government claims that a shortage, which last year sparked demonstrations in many areas of the country, had been resolved. Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian said on June 13 that, while the issue had been taken care of, residents should conserve water as much as possible until levels …

Al-Monitor – Tensions have escalated between Tehran and the Taliban regime in Kabul over the distribution of their shared waters. As Iran faces increasing water scarcity issues, Afghanistan is trying to dam water sources as much as possible to generate electricity and irrigate agricultural land.  Originating in the Afghan Hindu Kush mountain range, the Helmand River is Afghanistan’s longest river that …

Al-Monitor — Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the Islamic Republic will resort to pressure if necessary against the ruling Taliban establishment in Afghanistan should it fail to provide Iran with its share of a lifeline border water supply, Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday.   Amir-Abdollahian cited Afghanistan’s commitments under a 1973 agreement, which obligates Kabul to secure an annual 820 million …

Iranwire – “Iran is one of the top six countries in the world in the field of water science and technology,” Mohammad Hemmat, director of the president’s Water, Climate and Environment Headquarters, claimed in an interview with Tasnim news agency on April 26. “In 2021, Iran was among the top six countries in the field of water science and technology, and only …

RFL/RE – National Clean Air Day was not a cause for celebration this year in Tehran, where many residents were shuttered in their homes for their own safety to avoid exposure to the Iranian capital’s infamous and deadly smog. In the run-up to January 19, the day Iran dedicates to promoting air quality, students were prevented from attending universities and …

Iranwire – Flooding caused by torrential rains cut roads in the western Iranian province of Lorestan and triggered the evacuation of residents living around a dam on April 13. The flooding waters broke the gates of the Kamandan dam in the city of Azna, pushing the authorities to move nomads living around the structure and residents of Kamandan village to …

Iranwire – Twenty Iranian women incarcerated with eight environmental activists in Tehran’s Evin Prison have issued a joint statement calling the release of their fellow inmates, saying they have been subjected to numerous human rights violations and abuse. The statement released on February 27 said the environmentalists who worked at the Parsian Wildlife Institute to preserve the Asiatic cheetah and …

Iranwire – Recent snowfall in Iran’s southwestern Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province has caused building collapses and road blockades, leaving thousands of people stranded in sub-zero temperatures. Despite the provincial authorities’ efforts to reopen roads and assist those affected, the situation remains highly critical for many residents of the provincial capital, Shahr-e-kurd, the city of Kohrang and nearby villages. Residents say …

Al-Monitor — The Iranian government presented to parliament this month a swollen budget bill for the next Persian year, starting in March 2023. While the draft plan envisages huge boosts of up to 50% in security, intelligence and media spending, the share of tackling air pollution is reduced to half from roughly $8 million to $4 million.   The cut specifically targets the …