Massoud Bagherzadeh Karimi, deputy of Everglades and Environmental Affairs reported 40 such areas drying up across Iran.
“According to credible figures around 40 everglades across the country have suffered unnatural drying from 50 to 90%. For example, Lake Urumieh in West Azerbaijan Province has dried up to 90%. Gavkhooni in Isfahan Province has also dried up to 90%. Parishan in the town of Kazeroon in Fars Province has dried form 80 to 90%, and Maharlou in Fars Province has dried up 100%,” he said.
He said human intervention is the main reason for this phenomenon.
Various environment experts say in addition to the irregular consumption of water sources, lack of management and policies adopted by the government in developing dams are further reasons why Iran’s everglades and lakes are drying up one after another.
(state-run IRNA news agency – August 2, 2015)
