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.