The Gender Dimensions of Iran’s Water Crisis
Edited by: Ahmed Al-Romoh
Executive Summary
Field reports from various districts in the Iranian capital, Tehran, indicate a sharp decline in water pressure, to the extent that even the first floors of residential buildings lack access to potable water. The Tehran Regional Water Company has instructed residents to use domestic pumps and storage tanks “to boost water pressure,” shifting the responsibility of securing water onto citizens—most of whom cannot afford to purchase tanks, pumps, or the necessary equipment.
This paper examines the water crisis and its impact on families and women in Iran through the following key axes:
Main Axes
- How do women in Iran bear the greatest burden of the crisis?
- The gendered dimensions of Iran’s water crisis: Impacts on women’s health, livelihoods, and security
- The compounded suffering of women
- Health problems and diseases resulting from water scarcity
- Water scarcity and violence against women
- Impacts of water scarcity on women’s well-being and livelihoods
- Final word
How Do Women in Iran Bear the Greatest Burden of the Crisis?
Iran’s water crisis has surpassed the level of a natural challenge to become a humanitarian, environmental, and economic catastrophe. While manifested in declining rainfall and drought, the deeper, more destructive root of the crisis lies in systemic governmental corruption. As long as this root is not removed from the depths of Iran’s soil, the present and future of the country’s population will become increasingly perilous.
Numerous researchers and international observers confirm that 70–80% of the current crisis stems from mismanagement, unstable policies, lack of transparency, and corruption. “Iran’s water crisis is not a crisis of resource scarcity, but a crisis of flawed decision-making—one that has made the land thirstier and the future darker. This crisis, alongside declining public trust in the government, signals deep structural and administrative weakness.”
Field reports from different areas of the capital highlight a drastic reduction in water pressure, with even lower-level apartments deprived of safe drinking water. The Tehran Regional Water Company has asked residents to install pumps and storage tanks “to increase water pressure,” effectively burdening households with securing their own water, even though most people lack the financial means to do so.
Reza Haji Karim, head of the Water Federation, admitted: “Day Zero for water in Tehran—when water completely stops reaching buildings—arrived long ago, despite the fact that we hold a world record for land subsidence due to excessive groundwater extraction.”
Women’s Double Burden
The long and unplanned interruptions of water service have disrupted urban life and paralyzed rural areas. Agriculture has collapsed, livestock suffer from thirst, and families struggle to secure drinking water.
The impacts of water scarcity appear in family relations, household economies, physical and mental health, and even internal migration. Due to traditional social roles—childcare, elderly care, cooking, hygiene, and caring for gardens and livestock—women face the heaviest pressures.
The Compounded Suffering of Women
Women shoulder the daily struggle of coping with water shortages from morning to night. The psychological stress caused by repeated outages, long waits in queues at tanker trucks, reduced hygiene levels for children and for themselves, and increased water-usage costs deprive them of opportunities for education, health, and rest. These conditions contribute to chronic anxiety, depression, family tension, and domestic violence.
Health Problems and Diseases Resulting from Water Scarcity
The lack of access to a basic right—clean water—affects public health directly. Women’s health, in particular, is highly sensitive, yet women are often unable to express their medical needs during drought.
Marzieh, a 32-year-old from Chabahar, says:
“Coastal areas like Konarak and Chabahar have no access to fresh water. We are forced to use salty water for washing clothes and dishes, even for bathing and toilets. I’ve seen many women in our area suffer from infectious diseases, kidney stones, and digestive disorders.”
Saloumeh, from the city of Gomishan in northern Iran—known for fishing and caviar and considered a tourist destination—explains:
“We have never had pure water here. Gomishan’s water has always been salty. The responsibility of drinking water management has always fallen on women. I remember women tying their children on their backs with their scarves while carrying water from tankers. Gynecological and bladder diseases are common here, yet healthcare services remain severely inadequate.”
Women must often travel long and difficult distances to access water, exposing them to wildlife attacks, sexual assault, and long-term musculoskeletal issues.
Water Scarcity and Violence Against Women
The lack of water leads to business stagnation and livelihood crises, deepening poverty—and with it, a rise in child marriage and its associated violence, worsening pre-existing social challenges.
Saloumeh continues:
“As the economy deteriorated, education and healthcare declined, and child marriages increased.”
How can a girl of 15 or 16 who is married manage daily water needs, become pregnant, give birth, and raise a newborn under such conditions?
These patterns are widespread in Iran’s most water-scarce regions, especially villages in Sistan and Baluchistan and South Khorasan Provinces. High dropout rates among girls, forced and early marriages, declining healthcare and safety—all are exacerbated by the water crisis.
Impacts of Water Scarcity on Women’s Well-Being and Livelihoods
Water scarcity has escalated social tensions in Iran to an unprecedented level, with women taking a prominent role in protests.
Wide-scale protests continued in Khuzestan during the summer of 2025, fueled by lack of water and the drying of wetlands. Instead of resolving the crisis, the government labeled protesters as “saboteurs” and resorted to military force—leading to deaths and arrests.
Between May and August 2025, similar protests erupted in Shahr-e-Kord and several southern and central provinces, with slogans such as:
“Water, electricity, life — our guaranteed right.”
In Nasim Shahr near Tehran, residents demonstrated on July 20, 2025, after a three-day water outage amid lethal heat. Tehran and Eslamshahr witnessed anti-government protests on July 22–23 due to repeated water and electricity cuts.
In Tehran on July 23–24, protesters chanted:
“Death to Khamenei, curse Khomeini,”
“All these years of crimes — death to Khamenei,”
“Death to the dictator.”
In Eslamshahr on July 25, the chant “Death to Khamenei” echoed once again, alongside demonstrations in Marvdasht and Torbat-e-Jam the same day.
Also on July 25, villagers in Barzanun (Neyshabur) blocked roads to protest constant water cuts, declaring:
“If there is no water and officials give no response—why should the roads remain open?”
Final Word
What is now called an “energy imbalance crisis” is neither surprising nor solely the result of climate change—it is the cumulative outcome of corruption and anti-people policies embedded within the nature of a religious dictatorship.
The water crisis is one of many reasons behind political instability and the erosion of legitimacy of the ruling clerical regime.
Kaveh Madani, head of the Water, Environment, and Health Institute at the United Nations University, states:
“If we look at our country, we will see the symptoms of a severe illness—or a rapidly spreading cancer—across various sectors: one day we cannot breathe due to Tehran’s air pollution; another day it is dust storms; another day a water crisis; then the collapse of education, the soaring dollar, the stock market, or industry… Signs of crisis appear in every field, many with common roots. We must admit failure.”
The recurring protests in Khuzestan, Isfahan, and other provinces over water scarcity reflect the growing anger toward the regime’s incompetence. The violent repression of these demonstrations—including the killing of protesters—has only intensified public outrage and shaken the pillars of power.
Clear indicators of a nationwide uprising to topple this illegitimate regime are visible everywhere. The international community and all morally responsible actors must help the Iranian people in this decisive endeavor.
Recognizing the organized democratic alternative that has fought for decades for Iran’s freedom would not only accelerate liberation from dictatorship—it would also contribute to peace and friendship across the free world.
