DUBAI (Reuters) -Rainfall caused floods in parts of western Iran on Monday, after months of drought led to the worst water crisis in decades and pushed authorities to begin cloud seeding over the weekend.

The country’s meteorological organisation issued a warning for flooding in six western provinces for Monday and said it expected rain in 18 out of Iran’s 31 provinces.

Rainfall levels across Iran are 85% below average, depleting reservoirs and causing taps to run dry including in parts of the capital, Tehran. Mismanagement, illegal well drilling and inefficient agricultural practices have contributed to the crisis, which authorities say has also been intensified by climate change.

Prolonged and extreme dry conditions increase the risk of flash floods as droughts decrease the soil’s abi

See Full Page