Environment

PayvandNews – Six metropolises of Isfahan, Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, Shiraz, Kerman, and Mashhad and 289 other cities in Iran are currently troubled with water stress, deputy energy minister said on Friday. “The amount of water consumption is roughly equal to the amount of water stored in these cities,” IRNA news agency quoted Rahim Meydani as saying. Mentioning water storage level in …

PayvandNews – Iran is organizing a three-day international conference on combating sand and dust storms in July, with participation of representatives from over 30 countries across the world. The International Conference on Combating Sand and Dust Storms is to be held in Tehran on 3-5 July 2017. International conference on combating sand and dust storms The International Conference will be hosted by …

PayvandNews – Iran says it is implementing a landmark project to divert water from the Gulf of Oman to its central plateau – a project that could not only address the country’s surging water crisis but could also help push ahead relevant economic plans in host regions. Dasht-e Loot – a large salt desert that expands over much of Iran’s …

Al-monitor – A massive influx of dust storms in recent weeks has once again paralyzed Iran’s southwestern province of Khuzestan. The province has been reeling from dust storms since the early 2000s, a problem which often leads to schools and government offices being closed, power, water and internet outages as well as residents being rushed to hospitals with respiratory complications. AUTHOR Zahra Alipour According …

Al-monitor – With Iran to its south and Russia to its north and west, the Caspian Sea is not only rich in oil and natural gas reserves, but it is also the world’s primary and largest habitat for the beluga, the most famous of the caviar sturgeons, as well as four other sturgeon species. This ancient fish, often described as …

PayvandNews – The national budget bill for the next Iranian calendar year (March 2017-March 2018) has proposed a budget of 5 trillion rials (nearly $125 million) to mitigate the effects of dust storms, MP Abbas Papizadeh said. Dust storms which consistently disturb local residents of southwestern province of Khuzestan coupled with public utility outage has become a national concern lately. …

RFL/RE – Iran’s President Hassan Rohani says his government has taken measures to prevent further water-supply problems in the southwestern city of Ahvaz. Rohani made the announcement on February 23 during a one-day visit to the city that comes after days of protests over power cuts, dust pollution, and government mismanagement. “There have also been many efforts to resolve the …

PayvandNews – Officials in charge of Lake Urmia restoration program have said the government has not allocated budget to the project in the next Iranian calendar year (March 2017-March 2018) and this could do irreparable damage to the lake’s restoration program. Lake Urmia, northwestern Iran, which used to be the largest lake in the Middle East and the sixth-largest saltwater …

PayvandNews – Photos by Ali Mohammadi, ISNA Demonstrators took the streets of the western Iranian city of Ahvaz on February 13 to protest against air pollution, water shortages, and power cuts. Amateur video obtained by RFE/RL’s Radio Farda showed crowds chanting against what they called “injustice.” They also condemned state television for its apparent lack of reporting on the condition of …

PayvandNews – The Iranian administration has allocated some 10 trillion rials (nearly $250 million) to Lake Urmia restoration program. Lake Urmia (map) The lake which used to be a natural habitat for migratory birds, and a tourist attraction is facing a dramatic decline for years now. The decline is generally blamed on a combination of drought, damming of the rivers that …