As temperatures rise above 40 degrees Celsius in Sistan and Baluchestan, widespread water outages in the city of Zahedan and several other areas of the province have plunged the daily lives of thousands into a serious crisis. Residents report that when the water supply is cut off, evaporative coolers also stop functioning, rendering homes virtually uninhabitable in the scorching summer heat.
Residents in certain neighborhoods of Zahedan have reported water interruptions lasting three to four days, forcing them to purchase water from private tankers. Filling a home reservoir each time costs between 1 million and 1.5 million tomans.
A resident of Zahedan’s Khorramshahr Street told ILNA, “For three days, we haven’t had a single drop of water. We use bottled water for drinking, but for washing and bathing, we are forced to buy water from tankers. Given the current economic situation, paying one million tomans every time for water is beyond the financial reach of many families.”
Another resident living in the Parastar neighborhood highlighted the rising cost of living, stating:
“Now we have to pay a separate cost just for water. Some families cannot afford to buy a tanker and scrape by for days with a few jugs of water. In this heat, the lack of water is not merely a utility issue; it directly threatens people’s health, especially that of children and the elderly.”
