Iranian official denies impoundment of Chamshir Dam

The CEO of water utility in the Iranian province of Kohkiloyeh and Boyerahmad Province has denied a claim by a UN expert about the impounding of Iran’s Chamshir Dam in the province.

The official said the dam has not been impounded even tentatively.

Some media outlets earlier quoted the CEO of the Kohkiloyeh and Boyerahmad water utility as announcing the impoundment of Chamshir Dam. But officials have announced that this will be done during the Iranian president’s visit to the region.

Meanwhile, Kaveh Madani, Vice President of the United Nations Environmental Assembly Bureau, also said in a tweet threat that the dam had been impounded. He cited satellite images to back up his claim.

Critics of the impoundment of Chamshir Dam involve two groups: archeologists and environmental activists and geologists.

Archaeologists believe that with the impoundment of Chamshir, artifacts dating back more than 16,000 years, along with more 140 ancient sites and valuable works from the Sassanid era will be completely destroyed.

Geologists and environmental activists also say the construction of Chamshir on the Gachsaran formation, on which the Gatvand Dam was also built, will cause the salinity of the dam water and the downstream lands as well as the destruction of the regional environment.

The government denies this saying to build the dam all such concerns have been taken into account.

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