Azerbaijan, Baku, July 25 /Trend S.Isayev, N. Umid/
Rainfall in Tehran province has decreased by 58 percent during first three months of the current solar year (started on March 21) compared to the normal rainfall state, faculty member of Iran's Meteorological research Institute, Abbas Ranjbar said, Mehr news agency reported.
"Tehran's average rainfall during first 10 months of current crop year (started on September 22, 2012) reached 243.1 millimeters, which indicates a 24 percent fall compared to the normal figure of 317.9 millimeters," he said.
It should be noted that, total rainfall was 417.1 millimeters during the same period last year, which was 31 percent more than normal rainfall.
Average rainfall in Iran reached 215 millimeters during this period, which has decreased by 5 percent compared to the normal figure of 227.4 millimeters, Ranjbar added.
This rainfall is not enough to offset the effects of drought, he argued.
Water shortage has always been a pressing problem in Iran due to its arid and semi-arid climate, and droughts. As international sanctions clamp down on the country, this issue has gained increased importance.
Iran has experienced several droughts in recent years, especially in the south where it gets hit by violent sand storms that engulfed several cities.
Sand storms particularly enter Iran from neighboring Iraq where desertification has increased over the last two decades due to wars.