The Anzali Lagoon is sinking into deeper crisis as its depth is now less than one metre and parts of it have already dried out, says the Gilan Department of the Environment. The lagoon reportedly had a depth of 9 metres in 1975.
ISNA reports that according to the head of the department, Mohammadreza Borji, “the unregulated exploitation of agricultural lands and forests has led to 300,000 tons of sediment entering the Anzali Lagoon.”
Earlier reports also indicated that industrial and residential sewage from six cities has been entering the lagoon, further complicating the situation.
The report indicates that the change in the level and quality of water in Anzali Lagoon has practically destroyed fishing in the region.
Iran began a project to save the lagoon in 2010, along with Japan, but so far there has been no palpable improvement in its rapid decline.
