Tehran has set new records for both drought duration and water consumption, a senior official at Tehran Province Water and Wastewater Company said on August 30.

Hesam Khosravi, Deputy for Water Operation and Development, reported that Tehran is experiencing its fourth consecutive year of drought, an unprecedented occurrence in the region's recorded history, Ettelaat (Information) newspaper reported.

"Historical data shows that drought periods in Tehran typically lasted two years before a wet period would follow. However, this water year marks the fourth straight year of drought for Tehran province, which is unprecedented in all recorded periods," Khosravi said.

In addition to prolonged drought, Tehran experienced record-breaking heat this summer, with temperatures reaching 43 degrees Celsius (109.4°F) in the city. The extreme heat persisted into the first week of September, while further south in the country, new records recorded a heat index at 82.2°C according to US monitoring services, IntelliNews learned.

As a result of the high temperatures, daily water consumption in Tehran reached 4mn cubic metres, with peak instantaneous consumption hitting 60,000 litres per second, setting a new consumption record.

Despite these challenges, Khosravi stated that Tehran managed to get through the summer with minimal concerns about water supply, thanks to preventive measures implemented since last year. Earlier this year, erratic flooding in northern parts of the country also helped offset the worsening drought conditions through the summer, according to previous reports by local media.

The official also reported on the ongoing "Qamar Bani Hashim" ring project, a major initiative to stabilise Tehran's water supply network and maintain water quality. The project involves laying about 170 kilometres of pipeline around Tehran, with approximately 30 kilometres remaining to be completed.

"Large sections of this project have been implemented and put into operation in the western part of Tehran, and the eastern section will also come online by the end of the year," Khosravi added.

The simultaneous breaking of drought and consumption records underscores Iran's capital's growing water management challenges amid climate change and urban growth. In 2014, Tehran belatedly installed sewerage systems across the city with French engineering firm assistance to retain thousands of gallons of wastewater previously lost to septic tank seepage.

Iran's Meteorological Organisation warned of a new heat wave expected to begin next August 31, though temperatures will not reach the extreme levels seen in recent weeks, an official said on to IRNA previously.

Kobra Rafiei, a meteorologist at the organisation, told reporters that while temperatures across the country will continue to decrease until Friday, 6 September, a gradual increase in temperature accompanied by strong winds will start from the beginning of next week.

"Today (Thursday) we expect rain showers, occasional thunderstorms and winds in parts of Gilan, Mazandaran, Golestan provinces and the central Alborz mountain regions including Qazvin, Alborz, Tehran and Semnan," Rafiei said.

Rafiei warned of strong winds in the northeast, east, southeast, central, northwest and southwest regions of the country over the next five days, which could lead to dust storms and reduced air quality in some areas. This forecast comes as Iran recovers from a period of extreme heat that has strained the country's power grid and water resources in recent weeks.

Temperatures across the country have continued to worsen in summer 2024 across the entire region with droughts and power cuts reported in Iraq and brownouts reported in Kuwait as pressure continues to mount on regional infrastructure.

Baghdad also experienced extreme weather conditions, reaching up to 47 degrees Celsius. Erbil and Dohuk in the north will be relatively cooler but still hot, with temperatures of 43 and 42 degrees Celsius respectively.

Southern areas in the south close to the Persian Gulf also have the added complexity of humidity, increasing strain and putting extra demand on the local electricity grid, which is currently failing in several cities.

Earlier on July 17, Dubai reported that it had seen the so-called “humidex” records "feels like" temperature soaring to 62 Celsius (143.6 Fahrenheit).