Epic drought Imams in Tehran pray for rain to come back

Water, and its absence, has become Iran's national obsession.

- Patrick Wintour

In the mosques of northern Tehran the imams have been praying for rain, while the meteorologists count down the hours until it should come.

Forecasts of “rain-producing clouds” are front-page news. More than 50 days have passed since the start of Iran’s rainy season and more than 20 provinces have not had a drop. The number of reservoirs at less than 5% of capacity has risen from eight to 32, and the crisis has spread from the central plains across the country.

On Sunday, despite some reports of rainfall, officials tried to take matters into their own hands, with cloud-seeding operations to induce rainfall. This involves spraying particles such as silver iodide and salt from aircraft.

In Tehran, only 1mm of rain has fallen this year, a once-in-a-century event (the capital’s average annual rainfall between 1991 and 2000 was 350mm). All this comes on top of five years of drought. Snow cover has decreased by 98.6% nationwide compared with the same point last year, and in the capital the daily temperature has been a balmy 20C (68F). The price of bottled water has escalated and limits are being placed on purchases.

All across Iran, organised rain prayers have been taking place.