From oasis to wasteland: how Iran's Hamoun Wetlands dried up

The Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan - once known as 'Iran's granary', and home to the Hamoun Wetlands - is now a dustbowl. In the place of what was once a thriving oasis, powerful sandstorms have buried villages and ruined livelihoods.

More than 60% of the population relied on the wetlands for their everyday needs. But as the wetland's principal source of water [the Helmand River, also known as the Hirmand River] was reduced to little more than a trickle, water levels started to drop. 15 years ago, it dried up completely.

The main culprit lies further upstream, across the Iranian border in Afghanistan. Here, theconstruction of the Kamal Khan Dam has completely blocked the river. With no source of water, the wetlands that once straddled both sides of the border and stretched well into Iran have disappeared.

If the lack of water is one problem, the massive amount of sand residue left on the pond has left a further unforeseen consequence. In Sistan and Baluchestan, powerful winds that blow from May to September - the ‘Wind of 120 Days' -- whip up the sand and create powerful sandstorms.

According to our Observer in the region, the winds pick up so much sand from the surface of the dried-up Hamoun Wetlands that many villages have been completely buried.

Source: The Observers

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Taxonomy

• Wetlands
• Constructed Wetlands