'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎73v] (151/610)

The only rivers near Tehran are the Jajarud, 11 miles from
Tehran at Lashkarak, and the Karaj, 26 miles West, where it is
crossed by the Kazvin road, and again about the same distance
South of the city. In addition there are a few streams, e.g.,
Paskaleh, Haft Hauz and Kand, which have a fair volume in
spring, when they run to waste, but during summer are diverted
into “ Qanats.” (See Chapter III, page 148.) With the excep
tion of a small 1 2 canal from the Karaj, the Tehran water supply is
2 wholly from ‘ qanats 5 bringing water from the Shimran slopes,
nearly 40 in number, some fed from the mountain streams, the
majority from underground sources. They vary in length from
about 5 to 8 miles and some have a maximum depth of 130 to
150 “ zars ” (metres). They are entirely dependent upon the
snow and rainfall. During some years the abovenamed streams
overflow, burst the ‘ qanats’ and flood the lower lying plains to
the North of the city, while in others the ‘ qanats ’ become
almost 3 dry.
The supply is uncertain and insufficient. Water is an
extremely precious commodity and in summer very costly.
Tor drinking it is stored in tanks 4 (Ab Anbars) as in other
Persian towns.
The British Legation both in town and at Qulahak, has a
private “Qanat” with a supply of excellent drinking water.
The water is worst in quality South of the town towards
Shah Abdul Azim, which depends on shallow ‘ qanats’, fed from
percolation of the water which has been supplied. by the
* qanats ’ from Shimran and used and polluted in the city.
Ownership of the “ qanats ” varies, a few are religious
endowments or State property, but the majority are private,
some being the property of a single individual, but more com
monly being shared by several participants. The water dis
tributors are called ‘‘ Mirab.” Their unit of measurement is
the “ Sang,” the amount of water flowing at about 3 miles an
1 The water from this canal is used in the part of the town near the Kazvin
gate. _ Owing to evaporation and absorption by the porous soil more than half of
its original volume is lost before it reaches Tehran.
2 About 1890 Nasir-ud-DIn Shah granted a concession for supplying water to
Tehran. Plans of dams and barrages to catch and utilise all the waters running
South from the hills were drawn up ; the supply was to be brought in by pipes
and the capital required was £2,000,000. This scheme also came to nothing
owing to the objection of a certain class of the inhabitants who liked their water
to come to town undeflled by “ Faranghis ” (foreigners) and their pipes.
3 e.g., in 1917 when the drought caused several streams, as well as ‘ qanats, ’
to fail and the shortage of water destroyed all cultivation and many gardens
around the city.
* See Chapter III, page 149.
l i.e.. the amount required to turn a millstone. Actually however 3 or 4
“ sangs ” of water are required to turn a mill at full power.