Unauthorized use of the water of Zohre River in Khuzestan Province’s Hendijan Port has taken a toll on the river’s discharge to the extent that the mouth of the river in the Persian Gulf has all but dried up. “This has caused problems for farmers downstream and sailors who keep their vessels near the river mouth,” Ahmad Jafarinasab, governor of Hendijan Port, was quoted as saying by MANA News Agency. He did not elaborate on how those living upstream are illegally using the water of the river. The official stressed that “life in the coastal region depends on Zohre River” and urged the Khuzestan Water and Power Authority to “address the problem before it is too late.” Good rainfall in the past few months had given the river a lifeline after years of grappling with drought, but illegal use of the river has negated the rainfall’s effect, threatening life in the region, he said. Hendijan is a 3000-year-old city in the southeast of Khuzestan, sharing 95 kilometers of coastline with the Persian Gulf in the south. Zohre passes through Hendijan, effectively dividing the port city into northern and southern sections.
