Schemes to combat dust storms in Iran will not produce the desired results unless all aspects of the projects are given due attention, an agriculture expert has emphasized in a recent article.
Clouds of dust have been frequently shrouding parts of the country chiefly in the southwestern province of Khuzestan and the surrounding regions for years, making life a misery for the mostly underprivileged locals.
The rise in temperature and the growing desiccation of wetlands and rivers have exacerbated the situation, rendering control plans all the more challenging.
Mehdi Fallah, a member of Iran Thinking Association Network (ITAN), has outlined four major dimensions of anti-dust storm projects, whose consideration is essential to ensuring sustainable control of the life-threatening ecological phenomenon, in his article published by ISNA.
Locating Hotspots
Identifying the sources of dust storms is the initial step which has been carried out by the provincial office of the Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration of Iran in Khuzestan.
The 2014 studies showed that the majority of storms in recent years originated from domestic sources. Seven hotspots have been identified in Khuzestan covering a total area of 339,000 hectares altogether.
With an area of 112,000 hectares, southeast Ahvaz zone is the vastest spot and is a top priority for anti-dust programs due to its proximity to the metropolis.
The alarming fact about these sources is that they are growing in size, necessitating acceleration of the plans, the article warns.
Besides, these areas often face a lack of water needed for plans involving the expansion of vegetation.
According to the article, the provincial office of the Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization in Khuzestan has so far planted saplings across 16,500 hectares for which 1.5 cubic meters of water per second have been supplied from Karun River.
Obviously, larger volumes of water are required to maintain and expand the planting programs.
Economic Factors
A great challenge is sustainability of the plans after their implementation. Basically, projects that depend solely on government budgets are doomed to failure.
Fallah points out in his article that for a lasting project, private funds need to be drawn on and that would only be realized when they can yield financial profits.
The schemes currently underway in Khuzestan have failed to engage the private sector and are totally dependent on state funds. The solution is fostering public participation in return for such rewards as amelioration of life quality indicators.
Technical Expansion of Vegetation
Revival and expansion of vegetation across dust sources is among the workable strategies to prevent the rise of particles. Plants will not only block dust storms, but also absorb surface waters making the land more fertile. They help revive the ecosystem, moderate the temperature and increase humidity as well.
However, certain specialized criteria need to be taken into account while selecting the species for cultivation and the manner of their arrangement.
The species should obviously be indigenous and resistant to dry conditions and high salinity. At present, Mesquites and Tamarix Aphylla are being planted in Khuzestan.
Although they are suitable species, they are not yielding trees. Fallah suggests the use of productive endemic plants such as palm tree, fig and eucalyptus whose components can provide food, medicinal material and animal feed.
This would bring in financial profit and create jobs for locals along with controlling dust particles.
Moreover, the combination of the two species is inadequate because a collection of trees with different heights plus shrubs and bushes is required to be able to block the wind-blown dust.
Fallah explains that highly wind-resistant shrubs should be planted ahead of the rows directly against the direction of the wind followed by large trees lined up from taller to shorter and bushes in the final rows.
Social Aspects
Last but not least, it is important that the local communities gain some benefit from the anti-desertification plans, because in that case they would develop a sense of belonging and attempt to support and protect the artificial woods.
Public participation would also resolve conflicts between authorities and the public concerning estate property.
