Authorities in Iran have sprayed clouds with chemicals to induce rain, in an attempt to combat the country's worst drought in decades.
Known as cloud-seeding, the process was conducted over the Urmia lake basin on Saturday, according to Iran's official news agency Irna.
Urmia is Iran's largest lake but has largely dried out, resulting in a vast salt bed. More operations will be carried out in east and west Azerbaijan, the agency reported.
With rainfall at record lows and reservoirs nearly empty, President Masoud Pezeshkian warned of potential water rationing in Tehran if rain does not arrive soon, with evacuation plans for parts of the capital also considered.
Cloud seeding involves injecting chemical salts, including silver or potassium iodide, into clouds, allowing water vapor to condense and form rain more easily. The method has been utilized globally for decades, with recent use in the UAE to combat water scarcity.
Iran's meteorological organization reported an 89% reduction in rainfall compared to long-term averages, stating this autumn is the driest Iran has seen in 50 years.
Officials are also planning to penalize households and businesses for excessive water consumption. On Friday, hundreds gathered at a mosque in Tehran to pray for rain.
Some rainfall occurred in the west and northwest of the country last Saturday, with notable snowfall reported at a ski resort north of Tehran for the first time this year.
Ahmad Vazifeh, head of Iran's National Centre for Climate and Drought Crisis Management, expressed concerns over water levels in key reservoirs across multiple provinces being at alarming low levels.
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