Iran’s Karkheh Dam hydroelectric power plant has stopped generating electricity due to a sharp drop in the reservoir’s water level, state media reported Saturday.

The plant, one of the largest earthen dams in the world and the biggest in Iran and the Middle East, normally produces up to 400 megawatts of electricity.

Amir Mahmoudi, head of the Karkheh Dam and power plant, said the reservoir currently holds about one billion cubic meters of water, with levels 40 meters below the normal operating height. “We are now releasing water through lower outlets to meet downstream needs after the generating units went offline,” Mahmoudi said, noting that the Karkheh basin has experienced several years of drought and low rainfall. He urged residents and industries to conserve water for drinking, agriculture, livestock, and industrial use.

The dam, built on the Karkheh River about 22 kilometers northwest of Andimeshk in Khuzestan province, has been a critical source of electricity and irrigation for the region. Its shutdown underscores the broader water crisis facing Iran, as the country experiences one of its worst droughts in decades. Reservoirs nationwide, including Tehran’s Karaj and Latian dams, have dropped sharply, while officials in Mashhad, Kerman, and Yazd warn of collapsing aquifers and the potential need for forced water rationing.

As Iran confronts dwindling water supplies, experts warn that the combination of prolonged drought, overextraction, and rising temperatures could have severe social, economic, and environmental consequences in the months ahead. (ILKHA)