And according to the Associated Press, they threaten people’s homes and the local infrastructure.
The ground is cracking open, according to the AP, thanks to a water crisis that has deepened as Tehran’s population has ballooned.
The region is in the midst of a three-decade-long drought and ongoing desertification.
According to a 2018 report from Circle of Blue, a nonprofit focused on water issues, that problem has been compounded as the city’s population has grown to close to 8.5 million.
Water pumped from underground aquifers has gotten saltier every year as the city has increasingly relied on these underground water sources as opposed to rainwater.
[10 Driest Places on Earth] As a result, land in the area is physically slumping in on itself.
A February study published in the journal Remote Sensing of Environment arrived at a similar number: 9.8 inches (25 cm), based on satellite measurements.
All that subsidence has cracked buildings and water pipes, opened holes in the drying earth, and caused miles-long fissures.
The problem is partly a result of international sanctions applied to the country since its revolution, the AP reported.
Iran has sought to produce enough food locally to feed all of its people in times of crisis, and this has over-stressed the water supply.

s"Land subsidence is a destructive phenomenon," said Siavash Arabi, a measurement expert at Iran’s cartography department.
All those people have put incredible pressure on water resources on a semi-arid plateau in a country that saw only 171 millimeters (6.7 inches) of rain last year.
Over-reliance on ground aquifers has seen increasingly salty water pumped from below ground.
"Gradually, the pressure from above causes the soil particles to stick together and this leads to sinking of the ground and formation of cracks."
German scientists estimate that land under the airport is sinking by 5 centimeters (1.9 inches) a year.
"Rates (for subsidence) are very high and in many instances it’s happening in densely populated areas," said Shafiee.
Already, the drought and water crisis has fed into the sporadic unrest Iran has faced over the last year.
Iranian officials shrugged off the offer.
But solutions to the water crisis will be difficult to find.
Iranian authorities have begun to crack down on illegal water wells.

Seen by satellite and on foot around the city, officials warn that what they call land subsidence poses a grave danger to a country where protests over water scarcity already have seen violence.
“Land subsidence is a destructive phenomenon,” said Siavash Arabi, a measurement expert at Iran’s cartography department.
Over-reliance on ground aquifers has seen increasingly salty water pumped from below ground.
When you pump water from under the ground surface, you cause some empty space to be formed in the soil,” Arabi told The Associated Press.
Iranian authorities say they have measured up to 22 centimeters (8.6 inches) of annual subsidence near the capital, while the normal range would be only as high as 3 centimeters (1.1 inches) per year.
Either way, the numbers are alarming to experts.
German scientists estimate that land under the airport is sinking by 5 centimeters (1.9 inches) a year.
Some 2 million people live in the area, he said.
Already, the drought and water crisis has fed into the sporadic unrest Iran has faced over the last year.
Iranian authorities have begun to crack down on illegal water wells.

A tree planted before Tu B’Shevat is considered one year old and a year is added to the tree’s age every year on Tu B’Shevat.
The basis of rain, of course, is spiritual; God’s connection to the world.” Rabbi Schwartz referred to an incident over the summer in which an Iranian general accused Israel of stealing rain clouds.
“Since God gives rain to the world via Israel, anyone who threatens Israel will not be blessed with rain,” Rabbi Schwartz said.
“In this act, Prime Minister Netanyahu was acting on the aspect of Israel being the source of water for the entire world,” Rabbi Schwartz said.
“Tu B’Shevat needs to be a global day for planting trees,” he said.
“In addition, every time a tree is cut down, whether it is a fruit tree or not, it should be replaced and another tree should be planted in its place.” “Just as prayer and repentance on Rosh Hashanah lead to a blessed year, planting a tree on Tu B’Shevat will bring a blessed year and hasten the Messiah,” Rabbi Schwartz said.
As part of the global tree initiative, the Sanhedrin established a blessing that can be said when planting a tree.
May this year be blessed with good and giving rains.
And may it be a year of life and satisfaction and peace.Because you are a good God whose blessings are good and who blesses the years.
Blessed are you, God, who blesses the years.

No more than a hundred people sat down in the darkened cavern in the northwest Iranian city of Qazvin, while listening to the tune played by electronic musician, Saba Alizadeh, who came up with the idea to highlight the ongoing water shortage in Iran.
It added that by 2020, up to 80 percent of Iran’s more than 80 million people could face water scarcity.
‘Elegy for water’ So far, Alizadeh has performed his show, ‘Elegy for Water’ at reservoirs in the cities of Qazvin, Kerman and Shiraz.
The 35-year-old musician plans to do more events in Kashan, Yazd and Isfahan, cities that in recent years have faced water shortages.
Lack of awareness about the issue has further added to the problem.
Alizadeh came up with the idea of the musical piece in 2012, when he started to study music in California Institute for Arts, after he finished his bachelor’s degree in photography in Iran.
The rattling of the chains is then processed by a computer to become a sound that is reminiscent of that of flowing water.
‘Nailed to my chair’ The performance includes visuals created by artist Siavash Naghshbandi, who collaborated on the project.
The images were an artistic perception of the reflections of water.
And that’s the noblest thing you can say about art."

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20 By Elnur Baghishov – Trend: In the future, water will be more valuable than bread, Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholamhossein Shafei said at the second biennial Water Economy Conference held in Tehran, Trend reports via Iranian media.
Iran may undergo a serious crisis, if the country doesn’t address water-related problems, Shafei said, adding that the work to address the problem and the construction of water dams were not assessed properly.
He underlined that Iran should strive to solve water-related problems and involve the private sector in the process.
"Sadly, Iran is facing water scarcity and drought, but Iranians have proven that they are capable of dealing with it," he said.
Earlier, it was reported that during the last Iranian planting season (started Sept. 23, 2017), draught caused severe damage worth about $18.571 million to Tiran and Karvan county of Iran’s Isfahan province The drought caused decrease in production at ​​1,800 hectares.
Also, horticulture production decreased by 10,000 tons and the sector suffered a damage worth about $10.714 million.

(MENAFN – Trend News Agency) Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20 By Elnur Baghishov – Trend: In the future, water will be more valuable than bread, Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholamhossein Shafei said at the second biennial Water Economy Conference held in Tehran, Trend reports via Iranian media.
Iran may undergo a serious crisis, if the country doesn’t address water-related problems, Shafei said, adding that the work to address the problem and the construction of water dams were not assessed properly.
He underlined that Iran should strive to solve water-related problems and involve the private sector in the process.
"Sadly, Iran is facing water scarcity and drought, but Iranians have proven that they are capable of dealing with it," he said.
Earlier, it was reported that during the last Iranian planting season (started Sept. 23, 2017), draught caused severe damage worth about $18.571 million to Tiran and Karvan county of Iran’s Isfahan province The drought caused decrease in production at ​​1,800 hectares.
Also, horticulture production decreased by 10,000 tons and the sector suffered a damage worth about $10.714 million.
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Here is a look at the causes behind lack of water in Iran 1) One of the causes of water scarcity in southern Iran and the rest of the country is because of extensive and generally non-scientific dam building by Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).
The lands that have been dried up by these dams are grounds for particulate storms.
The dam was built on a salty ground.
However, the project continued, and the result was that not only the water behind the dam became salty water, but also many of Khuzestan’s land suffered irreparable damage due to water salinity.
In July, people of Khorramshahr came to the streets for lack of drinking water.
This city is located near the Karun River, but it does not have drinking water.
5) Also in July in Borazjan, which was suffering from lack of water and people were protesting, the IRGC attacked Kazerooni farmers’ pumps and killed one of the farmers.
Drying of Lake Orumiyeh is partly due to 80,000 deep wells dug around it.
9) Mohamad Nasari, representative of Khuzestan province in the Supreme Council of the Provinces, said: “The problem of water salinity in some cities in Khuzestan is serious.
Water salinity in some cities in Khuzestan such as Shadegan, Abadan and Khorramshahr, is the same as the salinity of the sea and the transport of water with tankers does not provide the people’s needs, and people have to buy mineral water for drinking.” 10- According to the IRNA State News Agency, in May 2018, a member of the city council said about the situation in the city of Ahwaz: "The situation in Ahwaz currently is very dangerous and volatile.

Here is a look at the causes behind lack of water in Iran 1) One of the causes of water scarcity in southern Iran and the rest of the country is because of extensive and generally non-scientific dam building by Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).
The lands that have been dried up by these dams are grounds for particulate storms.
The dam was built on a salty ground.
However, the project continued, and the result was that not only the water behind the dam became salty water, but also many of Khuzestan’s land suffered irreparable damage due to water salinity.
In July, people of Khorramshahr came to the streets for lack of drinking water.
This city is located near the Karun River, but it does not have drinking water.
5) Also in July in Borazjan, which was suffering from lack of water and people were protesting, the IRGC attacked Kazerooni farmers’ pumps and killed one of the farmers.
Drying of Lake Orumiyeh is partly due to 80,000 deep wells dug around it.
9) Mohamad Nasari, representative of Khuzestan province in the Supreme Council of the Provinces, said: “The problem of water salinity in some cities in Khuzestan is serious.
Water salinity in some cities in Khuzestan such as Shadegan, Abadan and Khorramshahr, is the same as the salinity of the sea and the transport of water with tankers does not provide the people’s needs, and people have to buy mineral water for drinking.” 10- According to the IRNA State News Agency, in May 2018, a member of the city council said about the situation in the city of Ahwaz: "The situation in Ahwaz currently is very dangerous and volatile.

A puppet show set to music, dramatizing Iran’s worsening water crisis, will kick off during an international festival being held in the country later this month.
“Kamancheh, Water and Others,” a play directed by Alireza Nassehi, will be performed with the marotte puppets at the 17th International Mobarak Puppet Festival in Tehran, which runs from August 23-29.
The puppet show will be accompanied by songs from the American jazz artist Louis Armstrong, Azerbaijani musician Alim Qasimov, kamancheh player Keyhan Kalhor and vocalist Shahram Nazeri, who will be reciting a modern-day poem written by Sohrab Sepehri, titled “Don’t Muddy the Water.” The production tells the story of Mr.
Foot, a character who wastes a lot of water while taking a shower but is sent on a journey to find water one day after his shower water was abruptly cut.
The purpose of dramatization is to draw people’s attention to the worsening water crisis and drought in Iran, a Caspian region country that has been struggling with severe water shortages for decades.
Depending on the expert consulted, different reasons are offered for why Iran suffers from so much of a shortage: Reasons cited include climate change, rapid population growth and overuse of water, wasteful agriculture practices, mismanagement, and poor planning.
An estimated 37 million Iranians in a country of 80 million people are said to be living in water-stressed areas.
According to local media reports, protesters took to the streets in Mahshahr city on July 2 to express support for the residents of nearby Khorramshahr, who have been protesting shortages of drinking water over the past days.
With lower water levels within Iranian dams, the country’s ability to generate electricity through its hydropower plants has reached a maximum output of 5,000 MW this summer, far lower than last year’s figure of 9,300 MW, according to IRIB News Agency.
During the protests over the lack of drinking water and power shortages, rumors have swarmed that Iranian water and electricity is being exported to neighboring countries.