Official: Gavkhoni Wetland in central Iran dried up 100%

An Iranian environmental official says Gavkhouni Wetland in the central province of Esfahan has dried up “100 percent,” citing satellite images, amid a lack of downpours and scorching temperatures in the hot season.

Hossein Akbari, a senior official with the local Department of Environment, said Wednesday that water was directed to the wetland in February last year, which helped moist between 6 and 7 percent of the area.

“But, because the flow was not continuous and we faced the hot season, the water transfer operation was ineffective in practice,” he added.

Akbari added that the Environment Protection Organization has been pursuing its legal water rights at “provincial and national levels,” but to no avail.

Gavkhouni is the terminal basin of the Zayandeh River. The saltmarsh of the international wetland, which often dries up in summer, is among the main tourist attractions of the region. It is economically an important feature of the region too.

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