Gavkhouni Wetland in Isfahan Completely Dries Up

An environmental official in Isfahan has reported that the Gavkhouni Wetland has dried up '100 percent.' The Deputy for Natural Environment and Biodiversity of the Isfahan Department of Environment stated that only two or three percent of the northern part of the wetland remains slightly moist. Hossein Akbari mentioned that the water release that took place last February was also 'ineffective.' The Mehr News Agency previously reported that the share of the Gavkhouni Wetland as the 'main water rights holder of the Zayandeh Rud' has been zero from the more than one billion one hundred million cubic meters predicted since the beginning of this water year, which started in October 2022. The report indicated that in the past three years, the only water that reached Gavkhouni was a 'negligible flood' on August 8, 2022, and the overflow from the Shour River in Dehaghan to the Zayandeh Rud last February. Meanwhile, the head of the Department of Environment stated that if any water is to flow in the Zayandeh Rud, the same amount must also reach Gavkhouni. Gavkhouni spans 47,000 hectares, and its water rights during drought conditions are 176 million cubic meters per year, while in normal rainfall years, it is 460 million cubic meters. Experts say that the amount of water allocated to the Zayandeh Rud this year is close to 'one-tenth of the wetland's water rights' and 'does not reach the wetland.' In July 2021, the Director General of Crisis Management in Isfahan Province reported that 98 percent of the Gavkhouni Wetland had dried up and warned of the possibility of its 'complete destruction' if policies do not change. Mansour Shishehfarosh stated on Saturday, July 26, in an interview with the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that the storage of all reservoirs in Isfahan Province has decreased by 'about 53 percent compared to the long-term average.' Over-extraction and illegal activities upstream, reduced inflow, climate change, and failure to provide natural water rights are among the reasons cited for the drying of the Gavkhouni Wetland. While the water crisis is one of the main challenges facing the country, the incorrect policies of the past four decades in water management and harmful programs such as self-sufficiency policies in agriculture have led to the drying of many wetlands in Iran. Experts say that the drying of the Gavkhouni Wetland will increase migration rates and eliminate job opportunities provided through tourism. Another World Environment Day is approaching; Iranian environmental activists are imprisoned and under security pressure. A severe water crisis in central Iran; members of parliament: 'Aquifers' have become bitter and 'land subsidence' has increased. Iran's environment is on the brink of destruction; the government of Ebrahim Raisi has removed 'environmental impact assessments of projects' from the seventh development plan.