Shocking satellite images show how Iran’s dams have dried up: ‘It’s not drought, but water bankruptcy’
An Iranian taxi driver cools down by splashing water on his face on a street amid soaring temperatures in Tehran. (Right) Diminished water levels are pictured in the reservoir behind the Amir Kabir dam | AFP
As Iran suffers from acute drought and drinking water shortage, satellite images have shed light on the current state of the dams in the country. The pictures reveal the drought at three major reservoirs in Tehran, Amir Kabir Reservoir, Latyan, and Lar Reservoir, all of which hold just about six to 10 percent of their original volume.
The images were obtained by UK-based Iran International from the European Union’s Sentinel programme, which focused on dams like Amir Kabir, Lar, and Latyan. The water levels in these dams have dropped to the lowest levels in years. Though fluctuations are common in Iran, the images show that at no time has the rate of decline in water reserves in these dams been as severe as in the summer of 2025.
The water level in Amir Kabir Reservoir, one of the key sources of drinking water for Tehran, with a storage capacity of over 200 million cubic metres, holds only about six per cent of its usable volume.
The reserves in Lar, with a capacity of about 960 million cubic meters, have fallen below 10 per cent, while the Latyan has just about 10 per cent of its original 95 million cubic meter capacity.
Tehran traditionally sources around 60 to 70 percent of its drinking water from the Lar, Latyan, and Amir Kabir reservoirs.
Kaveh Madani, head of the United Nations University's Water, Environment and Health Institute, considers this “water bankruptcy”, adding that the situation was a “state of failure” and some of the damage was irreversible. "You cannot keep expanding Tehran forever and expect the skies to keep raining or the aquifers to keep producing water,” Madani told Iran International.
Experts think the current crisis in Iran is a policy failure of the regime. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has built over 60 dams in recent decades, of which more than half are now empty, with hydropower generation operating at just one-third of its nominal capacity.
Meanwhile, water shortage has triggered unrest and protests in many provinces of Iran. While residents rallied outside the Sabzevar governorate, chanting “water, electricity, life—our absolute rights”, police had to resort to tear gas usage.
Middle East