The Media Line:

Iran’s government is preparing to buy water from neighboring states as it confronts the most severe shortage the country has reported in over half a century, Radio Farda reports.  Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi confirmed the plan on December 3, describing a new approach that officials say reflects the scale of the strain on Iran’s reservoirs, aquifers, and major population centers.

Authorities report that rainfall this year has reached its lowest level in more than 50 years, leaving the country’s main dams depleted and groundwater substantially overdrawn. Large cities, including Tehran, have already begun rationing supplies as the government searches for long-term options to stabilize consumption.

The strategy under discussion involves two major shifts: direct purchases of excess water from neighboring states and a greater reliance on imported goods that require heavy water usage to produce. That second mechanism, often referred to as the import of “virtual water,” would allow Iran to conserve its own limited reserves by reducing the domestic production of water-intensive crops and commodities. 

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