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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A wetland in Iran’s Kurdish-populated areas in West Azerbaijan province has completely dried up due to drought and lack of water release from a nearby dam, residents and environmental officials said, reporting severe ecological damage and loss of wildlife.
The Doorga Sangi wetland near the city of Nagadeh is left behind with cracked earth where water once supported thriving wildlife and local livelihoods.
“There used to be water [in the wetland], there were springs here, but now the springs have dried up,” said local resident Mahmoud Ahmadi. “Another reason for the wetland's drying is the Hasanlu Dam - it doesn't release its share of water. If there's a stream, they don't let it through, and they don't refill it on time, so later, there's no water left.”
Once holding over 12 million cubic meters of water, the wetland was home to more than 130 species of native and migratory birds, as well as animals such as wolves, boars, foxes, and jackals. Every spring and autumn, thousands of birds would stop at the site along migration routes, while locals relied on it for livestock grazing and natural habitat preservation.
Locals say the disappearance of the wetland has devastated the environment. Severe drought in Iran and its Kurdish-populated regions (Rojhelat) has caused the Gadar River -the wetland’s main water source -to run dry this year. In previous years, water from the Hasanlu Dam helped sustain the wetland, but authorities failed to release its share this season.
Jafar Dudkanlu, another individual living near the wetland, described the loss as deeply painful.
"As far I remember, I have seen water here; it has always had water, and a beautiful nature. Now, you can see that it has dried up, the water has dried up... Just yesterday, they set fire to it - believe me, it hurts me. It was a refuge for wildlife and many species of animals," he said.
Environmental activists say drought, mismanagement, and neglect all contributed to the drought.
“More than 130 species of birds lived in this wetland,” said Idris Wahabi, head of the Nagadeh Green Revival Council. “Besides our own negligence as Nujin council as the directorate of environment protection as the people of the area, other reasons are the lack of snow and rain, and the allocation of the wetland's water share by the Nagadeh water management department which have caused the wetland to reach its current state."
Local environmental officials say two other wetlands in Nagadeh -Talqan and Yadgarlu -have also fully dried this year, raising alarm over accelerating ecological decline in the region.
The Doorga Sangi wetland near the city of Nagadeh is left behind with cracked earth where water once supported thriving wildlife and local livelihoods.
“There used to be water [in the wetland], there were springs here, but now the springs have dried up,” said local resident Mahmoud Ahmadi. “Another reason for the wetland's drying is the Hasanlu Dam - it doesn't release its share of water. If there's a stream, they don't let it through, and they don't refill it on time, so later, there's no water left.”
Once holding over 12 million cubic meters of water, the wetland was home to more than 130 species of native and migratory birds, as well as animals such as wolves, boars, foxes, and jackals. Every spring and autumn, thousands of birds would stop at the site along migration routes, while locals relied on it for livestock grazing and natural habitat preservation.
Locals say the disappearance of the wetland has devastated the environment. Severe drought in Iran and its Kurdish-populated regions (Rojhelat) has caused the Gadar River -the wetland’s main water source -to run dry this year. In previous years, water from the Hasanlu Dam helped sustain the wetland, but authorities failed to release its share this season.
Jafar Dudkanlu, another individual living near the wetland, described the loss as deeply painful.
"As far I remember, I have seen water here; it has always had water, and a beautiful nature. Now, you can see that it has dried up, the water has dried up... Just yesterday, they set fire to it - believe me, it hurts me. It was a refuge for wildlife and many species of animals," he said.
Environmental activists say drought, mismanagement, and neglect all contributed to the drought.
“More than 130 species of birds lived in this wetland,” said Idris Wahabi, head of the Nagadeh Green Revival Council. “Besides our own negligence as Nujin council as the directorate of environment protection as the people of the area, other reasons are the lack of snow and rain, and the allocation of the wetland's water share by the Nagadeh water management department which have caused the wetland to reach its current state."
Local environmental officials say two other wetlands in Nagadeh -Talqan and Yadgarlu -have also fully dried this year, raising alarm over accelerating ecological decline in the region.
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