Iranians told to cut use of water amid drought and severe heatwaves

Iranian authorities have asked people to limit water consumption amid severe heatwaves and a major water crisis across the country.

- Shah Meer Baloch

Iran is witnessing its hottest week of the year, according to the national meteorological service, with temperatures exceeding 50C (122F) in places.

On top of the heatwave, the country faces a severe water crisis. Iran has been in drought for five years, with rainfall even lower this year, and the minister of energy, Abbas Aliabadi, announced last week that talks to import water from Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were continuing.

The country has a number of dams, built in the 1950s onwards, but the drought has reduced their output, and this, along with other issues with infrastructure and the heatwave, have led to energy outages.

The Iranian government spokesperson, Fatemeh Mohajerani, said over the weekend that Tehran province would make tomorrow a public holiday because of the heat.