The President of Iran has called for the capital to be moved to the southern regions due to the critical water crisis in Tehran

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that due to the critical water crisis and soil subsidence, the country is forced to consider the possibility of moving the capital from Tehran to the southern regions. This is reports The Guardian.

During a speech in Hormozgan province on the Persian Gulf coast, Pezeshkian explained that excessive urban sprawl, water shortages and rapid land subsidence create a dangerous situation for the 10-million-strong metropolis, which consumes about 25% of the country’s water resources.

“The problems the country is currently facing require us to direct the path of development towards the Persian Gulf. Tehran, Karaj and Qazvin are facing a water crisis, and it cannot be solved easily, Pezeshkian said.

The president said that even last year he raised the issue of moving the capital to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Despite the criticism at the time, he is now convinced that the resource situation has become so acute that the transfer of the capital is inevitable.

Tehran’s water supply has traditionally been based on dams (70% of reserves) and groundwater (30%). However, the city grew extremely fast and has now become a metropolis with a population of over 10 million people. Decreased precipitation, increased evaporation, and depletion of aquifers have caused water shortages and dangerous soil subsidence. According to Pezeshkiyan, in some areas the soil subsides up to 30 cm per year, which he called a “catastrophe”.

“The earth is sinking because the water under our feet is disappearing. This is a destruction that we cannot ignore,” he explained.