By Pooya Stone
According to a report published by the Iranian Soil Science Association and based on a report approved by the World Food and Agriculture Organization, Iran loses 2 billion tons of soil annually, which means that on average, 7 to 10 tons of erosion per hectare of Iranian soil.
Half of it is due to water erosion and the other half is due to wind erosion.
Considering that the total soil erosion in the world is 24 billion tons, in fact, one-twelfth of the total soil erosion occurs in Iran. Given that Iran accounts for one percent of the world’s landmass, the erosion rate relative to its surface is eight times the global average and is one of the highest figures and trends in the world, which is very worrying.
The issue of soil erosion in Iran has been discussed for years. Statistics have also been announced for this erosion. It is said that the average annual soil erosion in Iran is three times the global average and if it is not taken into account, it will have irreparable effects.
The formation of one cubic centimeter of soil in Iran takes 500 years
Soil is the most important element in ensuring food security. Some countries sell their water, but no country ever exports its soil because it takes an average of 800 years for each centimeter of soil to be created, so experts consider soil invaluable. It takes about 500 years to form one cubic centimeter of soil in a climate similar to that of Iran. Statistics show that soil erosion in Iran is many times the global average.
A study based on the value of a metallic mineral, the average of every ton of soil is $28, so regardless of the minerals in the soil, such as nitrogen, Iran is losing at least $56 billion in capital each year, which is more than the annual total exports of oil and gas and is many times the value of food obtained through poultry farming and fisheries.
One of the factors that have reduced the useful life of dams is soil erosion, which causes a lot of economic losses, reduces the average life of dams and leaves high costs for dredging, and has also created sand dunes in some areas.
The average annual soil erosion in Iran is 16 tons per hectare (equivalent to 0.7 mm of soil depth). While nature forms one millimeter of soil every 40 years, Iran currently has 0.7 millimeters of erosion per year, and this is very terrible from an ecological point of view.
These are the results of short-term policies for more production the price of which will be paid by future generations. Iran’s environmental budget in 2019 was just 403 billion Tomans, while the budget of the regime for its religious and propaganda institutions was 5.3 trillion Tomans.
Read More:
Experts Warn That Iran’s Environment Is Moving Towards a Point of No Return
