Reservoirs supplying Mashhad's drinking water fall to 4 percent, with just 52 million cubic metres left

The head of the Khorasan Razavi Regional Water Company said on Monday, 5 Mordad 1405 (27 July 2026), that stored water in the four dams supplying Mashhad's drinking water has fallen to 4 percent of capacity. Mohammad Ali Nemat Nejad said the figure stood at 5 percent on the same days last year, and that the Dousti, Kardeh, Torogh and Ardak reservoirs now hold just 52 million cubic metres.

Because of the sharp drop in reservoir storage, he said, Mashhad's drinking and sanitation water is currently supplied mainly from groundwater. Nemat Nejad added that higher rainfall in the current water year compared with last year has had no effect on reservoir storage, because the ground was excessively dry and no floodwater ran off.

He also said that to protect groundwater resources, 228 unauthorised wells have been sealed in Mashhad county this year, and over extraction of 8.8 million cubic metres from 111 agricultural wells has been prevented.