Could Drought Destroy an Entire Country



The dry country of Iran is experiencing a water shortage almost beyond believable. It has four reservoirs, three of them are dry and the fourth almost gone. The largest city in the country, Tehron, has 10 million people and officials are saying it might have to be evacuated. 

Tehron receives about 14 inches of rain per year. It has been below that in recent years. In comparison, the Mohave desert receives and average of 7 inches per year.  According to what I read, there is very little effort in Tehron to conserve water. The pipeline distribution system has lots of leaks. There are not readily available sources to move water to the population center. 

Iran has a history of being a self destructive place. Even though it needs badly revenue from oil sold to other countries, it prices gasoline well below the cost of drilling oil and refining. This has been the case for decades. If we think politics is responsible for destructive policies in the U.S. we are not nearly as bad off as Iran.                 

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