VIYAN MEHRPERWER

Mahabad-The escalating water crisis in Iran seriously affects Urmia, a city in Rojhelat Kurdistan. As all water sources in Iran have been depleted, the water levels in its three important dams - Mahabad, Bukan and Hasanlu, are at critical levels. People face difficulties in accessing water.

Ponds, streams in Urmia drying up

In the city of Urmia, previously known for its rich water sources, ponds and streams have been drying up, negatively affecting farming and animal husbandry. People living in rural areas are at risk of being completely without water. The ongoing water outages in the city affect daily life.

“We have been recently suffering from water outages,” said Samira S., one woman living in the town of Shino. “Sometimes, we go to a mosque and wait in lines to get water.”

‘People use water pumps’

Hûniya H., a resident of the city of Urmia, complained about both water and power outages in the city. “The Fajr region suffers from low water pressure. People have to use electric water pumps to increase water pressure; however, they cannot use these pumps due to the ongoing power outages. They have access to water every day for six hours.”

Bukan reservoir provides drinking water for Tabriz

Derya F. a resident of the city of Bukan, complained about the ongoing water outages in the city although the city has a dam named Bukan. “Bukan reservoir provides drinking water for Tabriz while we suffer from the ongoing water outages. Living without water in this hot weather is unbearable.”

People living in other cities such as Mahabad, Piranshahr, Maku and Khoy also suffer from water outages. Even if they have access to water, accessing drinking water is almost impossible. “The ongoing power outages affect water treatment plants,” said Gelawêj M., who lives in the city of Sardasht. “We try to collect water from water resources in the mountains. The dam is drying up.”

In the city of Naqadeh, West Azerbaijan province, almost all people have a water well in their gardens due to poor quality of tap water. They use electric water pumps to get water out of the wells. “However, we cannot use water pumps due to the ongoing power outages.”