Photos by Amin Nazari, ISNA

Karoun is Iran's most effluent, and the only navigable, river. It is 450 miles (720 km) long. It rises in the Zard Kuh mountains of the Bakhtiari district in the Zagros range, receiving many tributaries, such as the Dez and the Kuhrang, before passing through the capital of the Khuzestan province of Iran, the city of Ahvaz.

A Scholar at the Islamic Azad University in Ahvaz said that unfortunately the pollution and stink in Karoun River has increased to a point that the migratory birds no longer come to the shores of the river.  Dr. Zahra Mokhtarzadeh, talking to ISNA reporter in Khuzestan, said: In the past, during fall and winter seasons, many birds would migrate to Karoun River. But in the recent years, with the increase in volume of pollution and loss of vegetation around the river, the migratory birds have also left Karoun.

Mokhtarzadeh, who is an environmental expert, stated that the direct flow of Sewage into Karoun, has turned the river into a stinking sewer, and if this situation continues, we'll witness the death of Karoun in the near future.
 

The city of Ahvaz is the capital of the Iranian province of Khuzestan. It is built on the banks of the Karun River and is situated in the middle of Khuzestan Province. The city has an average elevation of 20 meters above sea level. The city had a population of 1,338,126 in 2006.

Read the related story (in Persian) on ISNA's web site.

... Payvand News - 08/18/09 ... --

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