Sarah Hooper
Published November 25, 2025 1:12pm
Updated November 25, 2025 1:12pm
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Previous Page Next PageA major capital city in the Middle East will have to be relocated due to water shortages and overcrowding, the President has said.
Iranian leader Masoud Pezeshkian has said Tehran is no longer ecologically sustainable, and the 9,700,000 residents would have to move.
‘People said it was impossible, but now it’s no longer optional,’ Pezeshkian said. ‘We can’t keep adding population and construction here. Expansion is possible, but the water problem cannot be solved.’
Warnings about the city’s water usage have gone ignored for years, and a drought has made water resources even more fraught.
Pezeshkian said it is possible to bring in water supplies from the Persian Gulf, but it would be costly and take time.
But is moving a capital city even possible? Tehran wouldn’t be the first city to move due to climate change, but the issues it faces could be difficult.
Many communities are having to relocate
Water in the city’s dams has all but dried up (Picture: Reuters)
Dr Bayes Ahmed, Associate Professor in Risk and Disaster Science at UCL, told Metro that it’s not just Tehran facing these issues.
He points out communities in India, Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, Africa and more.
‘Many local communities are frequently relocating because of the climate crisis. By climate crisis, we mean both natural and human-induced factors that are involved.’
Dr Ahmed points out the agreement between Tuvalu and Australia, which is allowing citizens to migrate to Australia before the country is swallowed by the sea.
‘We need to investigate what’s happening in other countries and learn from them because some are relocating, some are adapting, some are not—they’re staying, and they’re facing the challenges,’ he explained.
Where could Tehran move to?
The proposed location for the new capital is over 1,000km away (Picture: Metro UK)
The Iranian government named the Makran region in southeastern Iran as a potential new capital, but this has not been confirmed.
That area could alleviate overcrowding, energy issues and water issues. Makran is near the Gulf of Oman.
But this isn’t an ideal solution – the underdeveloped area is exposed to some security risks and would cost billions of dollars.
What other cities have been relocated due to climate change?
Indonesia’s capital city, Jakarta, home to 10,500,000 people, announced plans to relocate after sinking into the ground, becoming the first city to relocate due to climate catastrophe.
Sitting on swampy land, it is the fastest-sinking city in the world, with the Java Sea lapping against it as climate change takes its toll.
The plan to move the capital city to Nusantara, a new city almost 900 miles north of the current capital, will be done by 2045.
Dr Ahmed explained: ‘Why are people relocating from Jakarta? The number one reason is overpopulation. Jakarta has 42 million people, the largest population globally for any single city.
‘And the city is sinking every year by 25 centimetres due to uncontrolled groundwater extraction and a rise in sea levels.’
But it’s pricey – the government is investing an estimated $32 billion for the new capital in the jungles of East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.
It’s hoped the capital won’t be moved again, as construction is focused on sustainability, renewable energy and minimal carbon emissions. A similar move could be made in Tehran.
Are there any alternatives to relocating Tehran?
The Lavasan River, once considered water-rich, has dried up considerably (Picture: Getty)
It doesn’t seem like it. Last week, Tehran’s Amir Kabir Dam was at only 8% capacity, and the city is cutting water pressure.
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There are fears that taps could run completely dry if the city doesn’t get rain soon, but even then, the damage is done.
Overreliance on groundwater has also caused groundwater tables to collapse. Failing reservoirs are also to blame.
Dr Ahmed adds: ‘Climate change is not a localised problem – it’s a global phenomenon. You cannot think about how to resolve the climate crisis from one singular viewpoint.
‘We have to think about why the governments are stepping backwards. We signed the Paris agreement in 2015, but it’s failing. We are failing to hit the target for our emissions.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
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