Photos by Houman Moradi, ISNA

Payvand.com - This time, drought has put Hashilan pond near extinction, in a way that according to officials many of the pond fishes are dead and other species are on their last breaths as well.

Hashilan pond is located in 26 km northwest of Kermanshah in Alahyar Khani village on the foothills of Khoorin and Veis; with an area of 450 hectares, this is one of the beautiful environments in western Iran, according to the environment correspondent of Iranian Students New Agency (ISNA).

But unfortunately the latest drought has pushed this valuable pond near extinction and has caused an environment disaster in the region.

"This pond is the only pond in Kermanshah province and is unique for its environment and species, but the drought has brought these species near extinction", Technical deputy for environment department of Kermanshah, Fereydoon Yavari,  told ISNA.

He added: "This pond is a temporary resting place for migrant birds and plays an important role in the province climate and feeding the underground waters and provides a suitable environment for the growth of particular kinds of plants."

"Studies carried out by experts, shows that in this climatic conditions, existence of this pond is unique, which unfortunately because of the drought is almost dried out and the water inflows are faced with an extreme decline", emphasized Yavari.

He added: "The lack of sufficient water in the pond means the death of environmental species and already many of the pond's fishes are dead."

Regarding the variety of the environmental species, he said: "The life of water birds depends on the present ecosystem of the region; other aquatics including fishes, turtles and other species are near extinction."

Yavari emphasized: "Reviving of the pond is very hard, and because of the pond's broadness, bringing water to this region is impossible."

He hoped that there would be more rain the next year which could give life to the pond; if the drought continues, we will not be able to host any migrant birds any more.

Technical deputy for environment department of Kermanshah added: "Now a station is active on this issue and an environmental head officer, an environmental officer and two guards for the facilities protection and four patrols are working in the region."

Hashialn pond is formed in a syncline alluvium. The water of pond in its upper section comes from mirages and springs and spreads in the pond in big and small channels. The water for this environment is launched from the north and Sabzali mirage is the most important source for it.

Big and small islands could be found in this pond with sizes from 110 sq. meters to one hectare which include about three percent of the area of the pond. Different plants and species are living here.

The surface of the pond is covered with grass-like plants and sometimes by aquatic plants and non-aquatics on the islands. There are few willow trees and grasses such as Lotus on the pond.

In addition to rodents like mousses, animals like wolf, fox, rabbit, jackal and wild cat lives in the pond and on its banks. Khoorin heights which is located on the pond's north and northwest boundaries, is a suitable environment for wild goats. Also many snakes and turtles can be found in this pond.

According to studies, each year as the Autumn rain begins and the weather gets cold, many birds come here from northern parts of the Caspian Sea, and considering the favorable conditions and weather moderation, they would spend the winter here.

Green head duck, grey goose, and sometimes, flamenco, pelican and swan, bittern, small bittern, and sandpiper and… are among the birds that can be seen in this environment.

Also amongst fishes, the sickle fish can be named.

Note: Original article published in Persian by ISNA.
Translated for Payvand.com by BMarz translators: http://www.BMarz.com

... Payvand News - 08/15/08 ...

Bookmark/Share this post with:
Delicious | Digg | Facebook | Furl | Google | Magnolia | Newsvine | Reddit | Yahoo