Ata Pourshirzad, the Director General of Environmental Protection in Fars Province, announced on November 9 that climate change and excessive extraction of groundwater have led to the gradual demise of the wetlands in this province.
According to the semiofficial ILNA news agency, Ata Pourshirzad, spoke about the role and effects of climate change on wetland ecosystems in Shiraz, stating that Fars Province has 14 wetlands, five of which are registered under the Ramsar Convention. The Arzhan and Parishan wetlands, located in the protected area and recognized as biosphere reserves, have completely dried up. The Ramsar Convention is the oldest modern environmental treaty for the conservation of wetlands worldwide, signed by member countries in Ramsar on February 2, 1971.
Referring to the fact that two wetlands, Tashk and Bakhtegan, are also located in the area of the national park, he added that this year we witnessed the drying of these wetlands due to excessive water extraction and a decrease in rainfall and atmospheric precipitation.
The regime’s official stated that the province of Fars is facing severe crisis conditions, water scarcity, and the drying of wetlands, noting that on average, 7.1 billion cubic meters of water from the sources in this province are decreasing annually.
Pourshirzad attributed the increase in dust and salt formation to the drying of the wetlands and said that this phenomenon is particularly evident in the vicinity of Bakhtegan, Tashk, and Maharloo wetlands, while dust storms prevail in other areas surrounding the dried-up wetlands of this province.
Ata Pourshirzad emphasized the need to stop water-intensive agricultural cultivation and stated: “These cultivations must be stopped. For example, Fars should not be a place for growing corn, but corn is still being cultivated in this province.”
Meanwhile, Fars Province is not the only province in Iran facing a crisis.
Hassan Vahid, the Deputy of Water Resources Development at the Natural Resources Organization of Iran, announced that the Hamoun Lake is currently “completely dry,” and told the state-run news agency “ISNA” that the lack of water in this area has turned it into a “critical center of dust storms.”
Most of the news about the wetlands in northern provinces of Iran highlights how they are drying up due to factors such as excessive groundwater extraction for agriculture, dam construction on rivers, and changes in precipitation patterns.
At least six wetlands in Iran, which were listed under the Ramsar Convention, are now on the “Montreux List of Wetlands in Danger” and are considered to be on the brink of extinction.
Nasser Taleb Bidokhti, a member of the scientific faculty at Shiraz University, stated in April that Iran’s wetlands are on the verge of “complete extinction,” including five wetland sites (Anzali, Hamoun Puzak, Hamoun Saberi, Hamoun Hirmand, Neyriz and Komijan) that are at the forefront of the Ramsar Convention’s list.
In provinces like Fars, however, there are specific conditions. The wetlands in Fars Province have significant ecological value, serving as a refuge for migratory birds and supporting various other wildlife species.
In many areas, the drilling of wells within the wetland and river boundaries, as well as numerous dam constructions, have restricted the water supply to the wetlands. For example, the situation of the Hoor-al-Azim wetland is noteworthy, as it faces multiple challenges due to oil companies’ activities. According to a report by the Shargh website on May 24, the battle between the wetland and oil exploration in Hoor-al-Azim continues.
According to the report, four oil fields with over 300 oil wells have encroached upon Hoor-al-Azim, and now another new field has opened up in this last remaining stretch between the two rivers, called the Sohrab Oil Field, which, according to Shargh, aims the heart of Hoor-al-Azim.
It is said that the presence of oil companies in the unmodified area of Hoor-al-Azim will deliver another devastating blow to this completely exhausted wetland.
Previously, the Deputy of Marine Environment Protection at the Department of Environment had mentioned the government’s role in the drying up of this wetland in the year 2021 and stated, “Hoor-al-Azim wetland has dried up for the benefit of a Chinese oil company under the permit of the Supreme National Security Council.”
Fars Province has the highest average land subsidence globally, and many farmers have been forced to abandon their lands. According to statistics from 2020, 50 percent of the villages in this province are now uninhabited.
The destruction of nature and its resources in provinces where people directly rely on water and soil can lead to human crises such as poverty and migration.
The drying up of Hoor-al-Azim is one of the hundreds of examples of the slaughtering of nature by the regime. This regime that has spent all the wealth of the country for its own survival, does not care about the improvement of the environmental situation. For this reason, we are witnessing the destruction of many wetlands, rivers, etc. Zayandeh Rud, Gavkhoni, Maharlo, Karun, and… are just examples of this great crime by the current regime.
