Iran is grappling with one of its most severe droughts in over five decades, marking the fourth consecutive year of serious water scarcity.

In a televised debate on Friday, Hashem Amini, the CEO of the Iranian Water and Wastewater Engineering Company emphasized that “autumn precipitation levels have plummeted by about 6 percent compared to the previous year, raising concerns about an impending drought.”

Despite Iran's historical experience with low precipitation conditions, the persistent drought has sparked criticism of the Iranian government's environmental mismanagement.

The latest revelation comes four months after protests erupted in Tabriz against mismanagement that contributed to the disappearance of Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East. The lake has significantly shrunk due to a combination of water mismanagement and the impacts of climate change.

Earlier, Ali Salajegheh, the head of the Department of Environment, suggested that the drought might be the result of hostile foreign actions. "It is not unlikely that Iran's drought on a small scale is the result of hostile actions, but research in this area has not yet been conducted."

In 2018, the government arrested several Iranian environmentalists on charges of espionage for the US and UK governments. The convictions have resulted in prison sentences, raising concerns about the state of environmental activism in the country.

Reports indicate that a quarter of Iran's farmers have lost their livelihood in the past seven years, primarily due to water scarcity. The consequences of drought and water shortages extend beyond economic impacts, leading to soil erosion, desertification, and hazardous dust storms that affect approximately half of Iran's population, according to the country's health ministry.