IRAN'S WATER RESOURCES

KARUN RIVER IS THE LONGEST RIVER IN IRAN WITH A

LENGTH OF 950 KM. AHVAZ'S DRINKING WATER IS
SUPPLIED FROM THE KARUN RIVER. IN ADDITION TO
AHVAZ, THE CITIES OF SHUSHTAR, MASJID SULEIMAN,
KHORRAMSHAHR AND IZEH ARE LOCATED ON THE
BANKS OF THIS RIVER. APART FROM PROVIDING
DRINKING WATER AND AGRICULTURE AND PRODUCING
ELECTRICITY, THE KARUN RIVER HAS OTHER BENEFITS,
INCLUDING A SUITABLE PLATFORM FOR ATTRACTING
INVESTMENT AND CREATING PROSPEROUS
RECREATIONAL PLACES, AS WELL AS TRANSPORTING
GOODS; BECAUSE THROUGH IT, IRAN'S COMMERCIAL
AND EXPORT GOODS CAN BE TRANSPORTED FROM
AHVAZ AND EVEN SHUSHTAR TO THE INTERNATIONAL
PORTS OF KHUZESTAN SUCH AS KHORRAMSHAHR AND
ABADAN USING WATER TRANSPORT.
KAZEROON'S TROUBLED LAKE IS THE LARGEST FRESHWATER LAKE IN THE COUNTRY, WHICH UNFORTUNATELY
IS DRYING UP DUE TO DROUGHT AND EXCESSIVE HARVESTING OF WATER BY FARMERS, BUT ITS RESTORATION
WILL RESTORE LIFE. THIS LAKE IS CALLED (PIRSHUN) IN THE LOCAL LANGUAGE. IT HAS 4 SPECIES OF NATIVE FISH,
NAMELY YELLOWTAIL FISH, RED FISH, FIN FISH, AND FRESHWATER SNAKE FISH. ALSO, THIS LAKE IS HOME TO
RARE SPECIES OF BIRDS SUCH AS TERNS, PELICANS, FLAMINGOS, GEESE, DUCKS, TERNS, ETC.
LAKE URMIA: THIS LAKE STARTED DRYING UP IN THE MID-80S AND TODAY IT IS IN DANGER OF DRYING UP
COMPLETELY. THE ANALYSIS OF SATELLITE IMAGES SHOWS THAT IN 2015, THE LAKE LOST 88% OF ITS AREA
(PREVIOUS REPORTS ONLY MENTIONED THE LOSS OF 25-50% OF THE LAKE'S AREA). MANY REASONS HAVE BEEN
MENTIONED FOR THE DRYING UP OF THE LAKE, INCLUDING DROUGHT, THE CONSTRUCTION OF A HIGHWAY ON
THE LAKE, AND EXCESSIVE USE OF WATER RESOURCES IN THE LAKE'S CATCHMENT AREA, AS WELL AS LOW
SNOWFALL AND RAIN IN RECENT YEARS.
ZOLA RIVER IS ONE OF THE BORDER RIVERS OF
NORTHWESTERN IRAN.
ZOLACHAI IS A RIVER IN SELMAS CITY THAT FLOWS
FROM THE MOUNTAINS AROUND KUZERESH AND
FLOWS INTO LAKE URMIA. ZOLACHAI RIVER IS
FORMED FROM THE JOINING OF "KHORKHORE", ZOLA
ERIK AND RIZ ALICHAI RIVERS.

BARANDOOZ CHAI RIVER IS IN URMIA CITY IN WEST

AZARBAIJAN PROVINCE. BARANDOZCHAI RIVER OF
URMIA IS ONE OF THE IMPORTANT AND FULL OF
WATER RIVERS THAT FLOWS INTO LAKE URMIA. THEN
BARANDOZCHAI, BY REJECTING HIS LIFE-GIVING LIFE
FROM ZIVEH, IRRIGATES THE VILLAGE OF HAFTAVAN
BARANDOZ. THIS IS WHERE THE NAME OF
BARANDOZCHAI RIVER IS FINALLY APPLIED TO IT.
WHERE DO IRAN'S WATER RESOURCES (RIVERS) ORIGINATE?
KARUN: IT ORIGINATES FROM THE ZAGROS MOUNTAIN RANGE AND ZARD MOUNTAIN IN
BAKHTIARI PROVINCE IN CHAHAR MAHAL AND BAKHTIARI PROVINCE, BUT MANY BRANCHES OF
VARIOUS MOUNTAINS ARE ALSO CONSIDERED AS ITS SOURCES. BAZFAT NAMED THE KOHRANG
RIVER, THE KHORASAN RIVER, THE SABZ KOUH RIVER AND THE ARMAND RIVER) WHILE THE DEZ
RIVER ALSO JOINS THIS RIVER IN THE NORTH OF AHVAZ UNTIL IT BRANCHES INTO 2 BRANCHES AT
THE BEGINNING OF KHORRAMSHAHR, AND ONE OF THESE BRANCHES IS ARVANDROUD IS ON THE
BORDER OF IRAN AND IRAQ AND THE OTHER IS CONNECTED TO THE PERSIAN GULF
PARSHAN LAKE: THE WATER SUPPLY SOURCES OF THE LAGOON ARE MOSTLY SPRINGS AND FLOODS IN
SPRING AND WINTER.
THE SPRINGS THAT FLOW TO PARSHAN COME FROM YOUR DIRECTION AND YOU ARE EAST, AND
ACCORDING TO RESEARCH, THESE WATERS ORIGINATE FROM THE ARJAN PLAIN.
FAMUR RIVER IS FORMED FROM THE JOINING OF SEVERAL SPRINGS, AND THEN THIS RIVER ENTERS
PARSHAN WETLAND FROM THE EAST SIDE.
SPRING AND WINTER FLOODS ARE ALSO DUE TO SHORT AND INTENSE RAINS THAT PROVIDE A
SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE OF THE ANNUAL RAIN IN THE BASIN, THE STEEP SLOPE OF THE HEIGHTS
THAT INCREASES THE SPEED OF THE WATER FLOW, AND THE LACK OF VEGETATION IN THE AREA.
LAKE URMIA: LAKE URMIA FROM THE NORTHEAST
PART OF THE WATERS OF THE URBAN MOUNTAINS
OF TURKEY
FROM THE NORTH, IT ABSORBS THE WATERS OF A
PART OF THE QARA DAGH OR ARSBARAN
HIGHLANDS, AND FROM THE EAST, A PART OF THE
SAHAND AND SOLAN WATERS, AND FROM THE
SOUTH, A PART OF THE WATERS OF THE
KURDISTAN HIGHLANDS.
THE FOLLOWING RIVERS CAN BE MENTIONED AS
EXAMPLES OF THESE WATERS:
1- TAKHRUD OR AJI CHAI:
WHICH ORIGINATES FROM SAHAND AND SOLAN
MOUNTAINS IN TABRIZ AND FLOWS TO URMIA
NEAR GOKAN.
QADIR RIVER, URMIA RIVER AND SHAHRCHAI:
THERE ARE RIVERS THAT ORIGINATE FROM THE
HEIGHTS OF KURDISTAN AND FLOW INTO THE LAKE

ZULU (ZOLA) RIVER:

ORIGINATING FROM TURKEY, IT DRAINS A PART OF
SELMAS CITY AND IN THE NORTH OF KANGERLU
THE LAKE ENTERS.

BARANDOZ TEA:
IT ORIGINATES FROM THE BORDER HEIGHTS OF
JAMAL AL-DIN, FLOWS TOWARDS THE NORTH, AND
ENTERS URMIA LAKE FROM BARANDOZ VILLAGE IN
HIRAN.
KARUN:
UNFAVORABLE RAINFALL CONDITIONS IN THE CURRENT WATER YEAR AND A 44% DECREASE IN
RAINFALL COMPARED TO NORMAL YEARS HAVE MADE THE CONDITIONS OF KARUN MORE
CRITICAL THAN EVER.
IN ADDITION TO THE DROUGHT, THE VOLUME OF SEDIMENTS THAT ENTERED THE KARUN RIVER
IN THE FLOOD OF APRIL 2018 IS SO LARGE THAT DREDGING IS NOT THE ANSWER FOR THIS RIVER.
THE LACK OF DREDGING DURING DIFFERENT YEARS OR PARTIAL DREDGING IN SOME PARTS OF
KARUN IS ALSO THE REASON TO SEE THE GROWTH OF A NEW ISLAND IN THE RIVER EVERY DAY.
IN RECENT YEARS, THE CONSTRUCTION OF SIX DAMS ON THIS RIVER HAS CAUSED THE
POLLUTION OF KARUN AND IS EFFECTIVE IN ITS DRYING PROCESS.
TRANSFERRING WATER FROM THE HEADWATERS TO THE CENTRAL PLATEAU IS ONE OF THE
IMPORTANT FACTORS OF THE DRYNESS OF THE RIVERS, AND SO FAR MORE THAN 10 WATER
TRANSFER PROJECTS FROM THE HEADWATERS OF KARUN TO THE CENTRAL PLATEAU HAVE BEEN
IMPLEMENTED OR ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED.
IN ADDITION TO THE WATER TRANSFER PLANS, THE OIL EXTRACTION PLAN HAS ALSO LED TO
THE DRYING UP OF A PART OF THE KAROON RIVER.
THE PARISHAN LAKE:
THE HOT WEATHER AND LACK OF RAINFALL OVER THE PAST YEARS HAVE
PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE DRYING UP OF THIS WETLAND, BUT ONE
OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CAUSES OF THE DESTRUCTION OF THE DISTURBED
WETLAND IS THE DIGGING OF UNAUTHORIZED WELLS AROUND THE LAKE BED
FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES, WHICH IS DUE TO THE NEGLIGENCE OF THE
OFFICIALS AND THE INDISCRIMINATE WITHDRAWAL OF WATER FROM THE
LAKE. THE LAKE HAS BEEN COMPLETELY DRIED UP BY THE NATIVES OF THIS
AREA.
THE PRESENCE OF THE COMBINED CYCLE POWER PLANT NEXT TO THIS LAKE
ALSO PLAYED A ROLE IN ITS DISCOVERY BECAUSE THE TURBINES OF THE
POWER PLANT CAUSED INTENSE HEAT IN THIS AREA, WHICH TO SOME EXTENT
HAD A STRONG EFFECT ON THE EVAPORATION OF THE LAKE WATER.
LAKE URMIA:
DUE TO EXTREMISM IN HARVESTING FROM AQUIFERS, AS WELL AS MISMANAGEMENT, TAMPERING WITH THE NATURAL STATE OF THE LAKE, INDISCRIMINATE
HARVESTING OF UNDERGROUND WATER FOR AGRICULTURE IN A NON-STANDARD AND UNSCIENTIFIC MANNER, THIS LAKE IS IN THE WORST POSSIBLE STATE.

BARANDOZ RIVER:
DUE TO DRYNESS (NOT DRY YET)
THE METHOD OF REVIVING PARSHAN LAKE:
MEHR REPORTER, THE TROUBLED LAKE IS NOT HAPPY THESE DAYS, ON THE ONE HAND, THE WELLS
AROUND THE LAKE ARE SUCKING THE CONTENTS OF THIS WETLAND, AND ON THE OTHER HAND, THE
RESTORATION PROJECTS ALSO NEED FUNDS.
THESE FUNDS HAVE NOT YET BEEN INJECTED AND THE LAGOON IS SINKING ONE STEP FURTHER INTO
THE CRISIS EVERY DAY.

AN ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERT IN FARS PROVINCE SAID ABOUT THE FUNDS ALLOCATED FOR THE
RESTORATION OF PARSHAN LAKE: SOME TIME AGO, IT WAS DECIDED TO ALLOCATE FUNDS FOR THE
RESTORATION AND PROTECTION OF PARSHAN WETLAND, AND UNTIL NOW, WHILE THIS LAKE IS STILL
STRUGGLING WITH ABSOLUTE DRYNESS, NO FUNDS HAVE BEEN PAID. HAS NOT BEEN

ALAMDAR ALAMDARI ADDED: ACCORDING TO THE LATEST INFORMATION, THERE ARE MORE THAN 10
PLANS, INCLUDING WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLANS, AQUIFER MANAGEMENT PLANS, PLANS TO
CONTROL THE USE AND HARVESTING OF WELL RESOURCES, CHANGING THE CULTIVATION PATTERN,
SAVING WATER CONSUMPTION, USING LESS WATER CONSUMPTION PLANS, ETC. IT HAS BEEN PROVIDED
BY VARIOUS AGENCIES OF FARS PROVINCE, INCLUDING ENVIRONMENT, AGRICULTURAL JIHAD, ETC.
1- REPAIRING THE EMBANKMENT ROAD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LAKE TO PASS AND CIRCULATE
THE WATER OF THE LAKE AND PREVENT IT FROM DRYING UP AGAIN ((MINISTRY OF ROADS
AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT))

2- SERIOUS AND ACCURATE MONITORING OF WATER EXPLOITATION IN THE BASIN TO

PREVENT ABUSES ((REGIONAL WATER ORGANIZATION))

3- OPENING THE UNUSED DAMS, AT LEAST TO PREVENT THE DESTRUCTION OF THE LAKE BED
AND NOT TO LOSE ITS ABILITY TO BE RESTORED ((MINISTRY OF ENERGY))

4- DEFINITE AND IMMEDIATE PREVENTION OF SALT REMOVAL FROM THE LAKE BED IN ALL
AREAS ((GOVERNORATE - REHABILITATION HEADQUARTERS - ENVIRONMENTAL
ORGANIZATION))

5- IMPLEMENTATION OF ZAB AND SILWEH WATER TRANSFER PROJECT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IN

ORDER TO REVIVE LAKE URMIA
END