Iranian authorities have resorted to cloud-seeding operations in a bid to induce rainfall amid the country’s worst drought in decades.
The chemical-based technique was conducted over the Urmia Lake basin on Saturday, according to Iran’s official news agency, Irna. Urmia, once Iran’s largest lake, has largely dried up, leaving a vast salt bed. Further cloud-seeding operations are planned in East and West Azerbaijan provinces.
Rainfall across the country is at record lows, and reservoirs are nearly empty. President Masoud Pezeshkian warned last week that insufficient rainfall could force water rationing in Tehran and even the evacuation of parts of the capital.
Cloud seeding works by injecting chemicals such as silver iodide or potassium iodide into clouds, which encourages water vapour to condense and form rain. The technique, used globally for decades, has been employed recently in the UAE to alleviate water shortages.
Iran’s meteorological organisation reported that rainfall this year has fallen by approximately 89% compared with long-term averages, calling it the country’s driest autumn in 50 years. Authorities have also announced plans to penalise households and businesses that consume excessive water.
Ahmad Vazifeh, head of Iran’s National Centre for Climate and Drought Crisis Management, said dams in Tehran, West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, and Markazi are in a “worrying state,” with water levels in the single digits.
Meanwhile, hundreds gathered at a mosque in Tehran on Friday to pray for rain. Iranian meteorologists reported some rainfall over the west and northwest of the country on Saturday, with snowfall observed at a ski resort north of Tehran for the first time this year.
