"Water, and its absence, has become Iran's national obsession. In the mosques of northern Tehran the imams have been praying for rain, while the meteorologists count down the hours until the weather is forecast to break and rain is finally due to fall from the sky. Forecasts of rain-producing clouds are front-page news. More than 50 days have passed since the start of Iran's rainy season and more than 20 provinces have not yet had a drop."
"In Tehran, only 1mm of rain has fallen this year, a once-in-a-century event (the capital's average annual rainfall between 1991 and 2000 was 350mm). All this comes on top of five previous years of drought. The second half of November is normally the snow season in the capital. Snow cover has decreased by 98.6% nationwide compared with the same point last year, and in Tehran the daily temperature has been a balmy 20C."
Mosques in northern Tehran have held prayers for rain while meteorologists count down to forecasted breaks in the weather. Forecasts of rain-producing clouds dominate front-page news as more than 50 days have passed since the rainy season began and over 20 provinces remain dry. Reservoirs have plunged, with dams holding less than 5% capacity increasing from eight to 32, spreading the crisis nationwide. Authorities have launched cloud seeding, spraying silver iodide and salt into clouds from aircraft to induce rainfall. Tehran has recorded only 1mm of rain this year after five years of drought, snow cover has dropped sharply, and bottled-water prices and purchase limits have surged.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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