Excessive withdrawal from illegal water wells around Persepolis has caused land subsidence in some areas of the ancient ruin, according to Tahmoures Yousefi, director of the regional office of the Geological Survey of Iran. Cracks first appeared 10 years ago, Yousefi said, adding that teams have set up equipment to monitor the subsidence in Persepolis and Marvdasht Plain, IRNA reported. Last week, Masoud Rezaei Monfared, manager of Persepolis world heritage site, warned officials that unless the situation is remedied, the ancient site will be at grave risk. Prolonged drought has rendered rivers and wetlands dry in Fars Province, forcing locals and especially farmers to tap into groundwater sources via illegally-dug wells.
