The environmental department of Isfahan: The subsidence in Isfahan has reached a serious crisis level.
Dariush Golalizadeh, the director general of Isfahan’s environmental department, warned on Sunday, December 9th, that the prolonged drying of the Zayandeh-Rood River and the ongoing drought have brought land subsidence and the death of the Gavkhouni Wetland to the brink of an irreversible point, even threatening the province’s drinking water.
This local official, referring to the significant reduction in the Zayandeh-Rood’s inflow over the past five years, stated that the cessation of the Zayandeh-Rood’s continuous flow has intensified the subsidence, the aquifers are no longer being replenished, and underground extractions have multiplied the pressure.
According to him, the Gavkhouni Wetland is also turning into a source of hazardous dust, and the Zayandeh-Rood Dam’s reservoir holds only 134 million cubic meters, a figure that is insufficient to sustain the river and the wetland’s life.
Golalizadeh described the subsidence in Isfahan as a silent earthquake and warned that historical sites, urban areas, and infrastructure are now at direct risk.