Hoor-al-Azim’s gradual death dashes hopes of revival

The 120,000-hectare wetland has five reservoirs, which are drying up due to the lack of water rights, drought, oil extraction, road construction, and also construction of embankments by oil companies.

The Department of Environment Protection of Khuzestan Province, where the wetland is located, says Hoor al-Azim is facing water tension due to the shrinking water reserves in the country, especially in the upstream Karkheh river.

The latest figures show that Hoor al-Azim’s water reservoirs are at critically reduced levels and efforts to revive the wetland seem to have failed.

The reduction of the wetland’s water level has led to the death of fish and other marine life, making the area an inbound source of dust storm in the southwestern province.