“While the carrying capacity of Tehran water resources are 250 million cubic meters we consume some 750 million cubic meters which has caused land subsidence in the city,” Mehr news agency quoted Najafi as saying.

The growing population, unsustainable use of water, climate change and the current life style have all led to challenges in urban management, Najafi explained.

If not addressed water shortage can result in collapse of civilizations in cities, the country or even the region, the mayor warned.

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Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a City Council session in Tehran on Sunday, Mohammad Ali Najafi said Saturday evening’s protests disrupted the public service in parts of the capital.

The mayor also noted that the Municipality of Tehran’s properties have sustained damage during the protests, saying the extent of damage “was not that serious.”

A number of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stations have been damaged and a number of garbage cans have been destroyed by fire, he added.

Some cities of Iran witnessed rallies over the past days in protest at price hikes and economic woes.

Police arrested a number of demonstrators who were trying to damage public property in the gatherings.

According to Article 27 of the Iranian Constitution, “public gatherings and marches are allowed so long as the participants do not carry arms and are not in violation of the fundamental principles of Islam.”

Following the civil rallies, some Western and Arab media outlets tried to portray the protests as a political uprising against the Establishment.

Iranian officials maintain that people have the right to stage protests to express their opinions, as long as the rallies comply with the legal conditions.

On Sunday, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said sporadic cases of vandalism and violation of citizenship rights have nothing to do with the peaceful demonstrations, praising the police and security forces for exercising self-restraint to counter violent measures.

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