Iran’s Minister of Power has turned to members of the clergy for advice and support to deal with water shortages and the need for better consumption plans. Senior clergy member Ayatollah Makkarem Shirazi announced that wasting water is “haram” or forbidden in Islam, while Jafar Sobhani recommended Mass Rain prayers.
The Mehr News Agency reports that Power Minister Hamid Chitchian met with six senior Iranian clerics in Qom.
Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi was quoted as saying: “The government officials should use all technological means to solve this problem, and we will use educational and religious tools to tackle the problem.”
The meeting with Qom clergy takes place as several of Iran’s large cities are already grappling with water shortages.
Officials have reported that, despite warnings to conserve, water consumption in Tehran province has increased by 2.4 percent, and they are now looking at cutting off the supply to households and units that consume too much.