Lagoons Freeze in Western Province

Following heavy snowfall and a sharp drop in temperature over the past two days in the western province of Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari, two lagoons were completely frozen, a senior official at the Department of Environment said.  According to Morteza Mansouri, the head of the provincial DOE office, rainfall reached 5.1 mm and 2 cm of snowfall piled up in Boroujen County on Jan. 20, which caused the Choghakhor and Gandoman wetlands to freeze. "The lagoons host a wide gamut of migratory birds, most of which left the area with the drop in temperature," IRNA quoted Mansouri as saying.  Choghakhor Lagoon and its smaller adjacent wetlands are the main habitat of the endemic Zagros pupfish. Situated 2,219 meters above sea level and spread over 980 hectares, Gandoman Wetland is among Iran's top 10 bird-watching wetlands.