Fears intensify for waning Anzali Lagoon in Gilan province of Iran

10/16/15

Source: Radio Zamaneh

The governor of Gilan says the Anzali Lagoon is in serious danger of drying out, with its depth having decreased from 11 metres to 1.5 metres.





Anzali lagoon



In the administrative council meeting on Wednesday October 14, Mohammad Ali Najafi said the lagoon is in imminent danger of extinction and needs immediate and special attention from the authorities.

It has now been a year since the head of the Department of the Environment, Massoumeh Ebtekar, received a petition about the decline of the Anzali Lagoon, but no effective action has been taken to reverse the situation.







A view of Anzali lagoon (2011 file photo by Pooneh Shahmir)





Environmental reports indicate that 32 million cubic metres of city sewage enters the lagoon each year, exacerbating the lagoon's decline.

Iran has been facing a serious water crisis, and 75 percent of its lagoons and wetlands are said to have already disappeared.