Subsidence Crisis in Iran; Cracks in 'Naqsh-e Rustam'; Danger Near Persepolis

ILNA news agency reported on the critical subsidence situation in the Marvdasht and Shiraz plains in Fars province, stating that 70-centimeter cracks have formed in 'Naqsh-e Rustam'. Based on specialized studies conducted by Shiraz University from 2021 to 2023, the entire Marvdasht plain is affected by subsidence, with 'very massive' cracks on the ground surface ranging from half a meter to 70 centimeters wide. Experts have repeatedly warned about subsidence in Shiraz, particularly in the Marvdasht area. Tahmoures Yousefi, head of the Geological and Mineral Exploration Center of Southern Iran, stated on January 18, 2022, that subsidence is the result of depleting groundwater tables, expressing concern over the extraction of ancient fossil waters from depths of 200 to 300 meters for agricultural use. In August 2021, Mehr news agency reported that land subsidence in Fars holds a world record. Furthermore, subsidence has reached residential areas in Shiraz, causing a sinkhole on February 6, 2023, in Lotfalli Khan Zand Street near the 'Khan' school, blocking the street. Today's ILNA report emphasizes that subsidence has reached within 300 meters of Persepolis, an event that could jeopardize the existence of this ancient historical complex. ILNA also quoted a faculty member from the 'Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering' department at Shiraz University, stating, 'For the past 10 years, we have shouted about the problems of land subsidence in all media, but no results have been achieved.' Maryam Dehghani emphasized that her 'warnings' regarding land subsidence have had no impact and that 'there has been no will to solve it.' Dehghani reported that the 'Mehr Housing' in Marvdasht is affected by subsidence, with cracks of 16 to 18 centimeters appearing in the buildings, warning that if a break occurs in the gas transfer line of 'Mehr Housing', a 'massive disaster' will happen. The intensifying subsidence crisis in Fars province ultimately led to comments from Khalil Abdollahi, director of crisis management at the Fars governorate, who on July 20 of this year attributed the exacerbation of land subsidence to illegal well drilling and excessive use of groundwater. In this context, a faculty member from the Road and Urban Development Research Center announced in March 2023 that 13,000 cities and villages, comprising nearly 49% of the total population of the country, are at risk of 'land subsidence'. Ali Bitollahi identified the highest risk areas for subsidence as Tehran, Razavi Khorasan, and Isfahan. According to Bitollahi, '11% of Iran's land area, with a population of 39 million, is at risk of land subsidence.' Accordingly, it has been reported that 380 cities and 9,200 villages are at risk of land subsidence. Experts believe that the actions of the Islamic Republic over the past four decades are the main cause of the environmental crisis and the depletion of the country's water resources. This issue has also been criticized by private sector activists who have consistently warned about its consequences. In this regard, the 'Iran Chamber of Commerce' website stated that issues such as 'water', 'soil', 'climate change', 'deforestation and pasture loss', 'loss of biodiversity', 'economic and political shocks', 'drought', 'decreased real purchasing power of people', 'import and smuggling rents', etc., have put Iran at a very high threat level regarding food and livelihood security. The article emphasized that if realities are not addressed and 'problem identification' is not conducted, hunger and food insecurity, along with 'bread' riots, will incur a heavy cost for the health of the people and the security of the country. Among the most significant current mega-crises in Iran, in the environmental sector, widespread water shortages and soil resource degradation are fundamental biological necessities; an issue that has so far been approached mainly from a security perspective by the Islamic Republic and key government decision-making institutions, with activists in this field frequently facing threats or arrests. Construction is permitted in subsiding plains with municipal approval. Water scarcity, subsidence, and the risk of the Caspian Sea's destruction; the dire environmental situation during Ebrahim Raisi's presidency. Water reserves in 8 cities and 50 villages in Fars province have been depleted. The water crisis in Iran; the Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade: Isfahan will connect to the Sea of Oman. Several schools in Tehran and Isfahan were evacuated due to 'land subsidence'. Drying water bodies under the pretext of job creation and self-sufficiency; extraction from groundwater has reached 47 billion cubic meters annually.