Mohammad Saki, head of the Department of Environmental Protection in Hoveyzeh, said on Sunday that between 23,000 and 25,000 hectares of the wetland’s Iraqi territory have been affected by fire since the beginning of this year. On the Iranian side, around 450 hectares have burned.
“Although in recent days the flames reached into parts of the Iranian section, they were quickly extinguished,” Saki said, noting that areas of the wetland inside Iran still hold water, which helps suppress the spread of fire.
He explained that smoke from the Iraqi fires generally drifts toward Khuzestan province, southern Iran, worsening air quality in local cities. However, on humid days, wind patterns prevent the smoke from reaching populated areas.
Saki added that Iranian officials are working with the Khuzestan governorate to secure a firefighting aircraft equipped for water bombing, expected to be deployed in the province by late September to support fire control efforts.