Iran's infrastructure crisis deepens; power outages. water shortages disrupt daily life

Tehran [Iran], August 11 : Millions of Iranians are adjusting their daily lives amid worsening water shortages, power outages, and soaring temperatures, as the country faces a crippling infrastructure crisis, Al Jazeera reported.

In Tehran, Sara, a 44-year-old digital marketer, checks her phone every morning at 6 amnot for messages but to see when the day's power blackout will begin. Despite memorising the weekly electricity schedule, she still looks for last-minute changes, planning her life around two-hour power cuts. "Without electricity, there is no air conditioner to make the heat tolerable," she explained, describing how Iran's converging crises of water scarcity, energy shortages, and record-breaking heat have altered daily routines, Al Jazeera added.

Unannounced water service cuts lasting hours leave residents scrambling to fill buckets before taps run dry. The current summer, marked by record temperatures, has presented survival challenges for many Iranians, according to data from Iran's Meteorological Organization cited by Al Jazeera. Rainfall has dropped by 40 percent during the current water year, with only 137mm of precipitation received compared to the long-term average of 228.2mm.

Iran's electricity shortage stems from both aging infrastructure and fuel supply problems, which have caused power production to lag behind rapidly rising demand. A parliamentary report in October showed that 85 percent of Iran's electricity comes from fossil fuels, with only 13 percent from hydropower and the remainder from renewables and nuclear power, Al Jazeera reported.

Although Iran holds vast gas and oil reserves, decades of sanctions and underinvestment have left power plants and transmission networks ill-equipped to meet growing consumption. Fuel supply disruptions have forced some stations to use mazut, a heavy fuel oil, instead of natural gas, but this is limited due to pollution concerns. Summer droughts have further reduced hydroelectric output at the very time when air conditioning demand peaks, leaving many Iranians planning their days around predictable blackouts and uncertain water availability, Al Jazeera said.

For 26-year-old Fatemeh, who moved to Tehran from nearby Andisheh to pursue her education, the infrastructure crisis means constant crisis management. During her first unannounced water outage, she was trapped in a sweltering apartment with temperatures soaring to 40 degrees Celsius. She rationed limited drinking water and ice to keep cool, highlighting the challenges faced daily by many, Al Jazeera reported.

Fatemeh has since developed survival routines involving storing water in multiple containers, using evaporative coolers during cuts, and applying ice blocks to vents during extreme heat. She described the combined loss of water and electricity as feeling "like having a fever," resorting to soaked towels for relief.

The crisis extends beyond individual hardships, threatening businesses and jobs. Offices and shops are forced to close during outages, increasing economic pressures and the risk of layoffs. Small businesses, such as pastry shops, have suffered significant losses due to spoiled goods caused by refrigeration failures. Remote work is also hampered by unreliable electricity and internet connections, Al Jazeera noted.

Shahram, a 38-year-old software company manager, shared how power cuts during peak working hours force him to send employees home early, disrupting productivity. "Power cuts usually occur between 12 and 5 pm. That coincides with peak work hours," he said. "If the power cuts happen at 2, 3, or 4 pm, I usually send everyone home because there's no point. By the time power comes back, it is the end of their working day," Al Jazeera added.

Experts attribute Iran's energy crisis to insufficient investment, outdated technologies hindered by international sanctions, and unsustainable consumption patterns. Mohammad Arshadi, a water governance researcher and member of the Strategic Council of the Tadbir-E-Abe Iran think tank, stressed the need for fundamental changes in water use. While climate change has worsened natural scarcity, he said, "the main reason behind the current problem is how water is being used in Iran." Expansion of water-intensive farming, large industries, and urban growth have driven "runaway growth of water demand," Al Jazeera reported.

As Iran approaches another winter with unresolved water and energy deficits, millions of citizens like Sara, Fatemeh, and Shahram face an uncertain future. Where infrastructure was once taken for granted, a generation now lives with scarcity as a defining feature of modern Iranian life, Al Jazeera concluded.

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