Despite the pattern of decline in water discharged into the Hamoun Wetlands from Helmand River in Afghanistan, recovery efforts have helped partially revive the imperiled wetlands in Sistan-Balouchestan Province, says the head of the Wetlands Protection Office in the Department of Environment (DoE).
“The revival programs include restoration of the wetlands’ ecosystems, dredging rivers to facilitate water flow, reinforcing embankment dams to store water in valleys and supplying water across major sources of dust storms,” Ahmadreza Lahijanzadeh was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Operations are underway with the help of local communities and based on the Comprehensive Management Plan of Hamoun Wetlands launched in 2015, he said.
There are 250 wetlands in Iran of which 24 (including Hamoun) are internationally recognized and registered under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention) in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971.
Years of natural and man-made disasters have impacted nature and the livelihoods across the Hamoun wetlands. Many local businesses folded leaving large numbers jobless.
Crops have been compromised due to lack of rain and water, increasing the level of food insecurity. Sandstorms now last longer giving rise higher rates of respiratory and heart diseases. People have been moving out of the parched region in search of better livelihoods.
International Assistance
Referring to the assistance offered by international organizations to help expedite the restoration projects, Lahijanzadeh noted that following inspections by experts from international organizations, a contract was signed between the UN Development Program (UNDP) and DoE (in early May).
“As per the deal to be implemented over the next five years, the EU has provided $11 million to support efforts of the transboundary Hamoun Wetlands,” he said without providing details.
The plan of action will promote integrated natural resource management for the restoration of the wetland ecosystems and support alternative livelihoods development for local communities in the Hamoun wetlands.
It will be implemented not only through sustainable land and water management techniques, climate-friendly farming and alternative livelihoods, but also by capacity building and coordination among local entities for improved management of the wetland, he noted.
Iran’s map shows vast desert lands and chronic water deficits with which the country has been grappling with for decades.
Unique Ecosystem
Wetlands have always been a unique ecosystem of critical local, national and international importance with ecological and socio-economic value.
However, due to acceleration of climate change, poor water management, use of traditional water-intensive farming systems and Afghanistan’s non-compliant with agreements (with Iran) regarding the wetlands water share, the once fertile wetlands have dried up in the past 20 years.
The Hamouns are transboundary wetlands on the Iran-Afghan border and comprise three lakes: Hamoun-e Helmand, which is entirely in Iran; Hamoun-e Sabari on the border; and Hamoun-e Puzak, which is almost entirely inside Afghanistan.
The three lakes are linked and fed by water from Afghanistan’s Helmand River.
Construction of dams and canals in Afghanistan led to water being drawn to feed agriculture in the Afghan provinces of Kandahar, Helmand and Nimrouz, causing water levels in the lakes to plummet.
To make matters worse, four reservoirs were built in Iran, diverting more water and speeding up desiccation of the wetlands.
Twenty years ago, most of this area was green abundant flora and fauna. The lake teemed with fish. Total annual catch used to exceed 12,000 tons. Fishermen regularly hauled in fish each weighing 20 kilograms. The wetlands also supported agriculture and water buffalo herds, providing livelihood to thousands of families
With an area of about 50,700 square kilometers, the interconnected wetlands were considered the largest freshwater lake across the Iranian Plateau.
To attract global attention to the dire state of the wetlands and secure funds from international organizations, Iran made efforts to nominate the Hamouns to the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Program.
In March 2016, the International Coordinating Council of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program added Hamoun to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves during its meeting in Lima, Peru.
