Authorities in Iran have sprayed clouds with chemicals to induce rain, attempting to combat the country's worst drought in decades. Known as cloud seeding, the process was conducted over the Urmia lake basin on Saturday, Iran's official news agency Irna reported.
Urmia is Iran's largest lake, but has largely dried out, leaving a vast salt bed. Further operations will be carried out in east and west Azerbaijan, the agency said. Rainfall is at record lows and reservoirs are nearly empty. Last week, President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that if rainfall does not increase soon, Tehran's water supply could be rationed, and evacuations from the capital may be necessary.
Cloud seeding involves injecting chemical salts such as silver iodide or potassium iodide into clouds to promote rainfall. This technique has been used for decades, with countries like the UAE employing similar methods to tackle water scarcity.
This year, Iranian meteorologists reported that rainfall has decreased by approximately 89% compared to the long-term average, marking the driest autumn in 50 years. In response to the potential crisis, officials have announced plans to penalize households and businesses that consume excessive water.
Ahmad Vazifeh, head of Iran's National Centre for Climate and Drought Crisis Management, conveyed concerns about the dangerously low water levels in dams across Tehran and surrounding provinces, which are now at single-digit percentages. In a sign of community support, hundreds gathered at a mosque in Tehran to pray for rainfall.
On a more positive note, meteorologists reported some rainfall in the west and northwest regions of the country recently, and footage showed snowfall at a Tehran ski resort for the first time this year.
