Is the Caspian getting smaller? – Siri in Iran

According to the experts, the Caspian sea water recession crisis in the coastal cities of the province has started slowly since the last decades and if neglected in the near future, all the tourism infrastructure, ports and economic capacity of the region will be affected by this ominous phenomenon.

According to statistics, the water level of the Caspian Sea has decreased by about 38 cm in the last four years, and as a result of the 170 cm decrease in the water level of the Caspian Sea since the 70s, according to expert investigations by the officials of the National Center for Studies and Research of the Caspian Sea, this significant retreat of the sea It has led to the increase of a large area of ​​the coastal area in the northern coasts, especially in the west of Mazandaran.

According to a study conducted in 2017, it was determined that the Caspian water will decline by 2050, and according to experts, this decline is due to climate change, which is likely to increase, while about 50% of the Caspian sea decline is due to the rapid evaporation of water in It will return, and if this trend continues at this rate, 20 to 25% of the area of ​​the Caspian in the northern part, which includes the Russian coast, will decrease.

The results of these studies have also shown that only in the years 1393 to 1400, the water level of the Caspian Sea has decreased by about 50 centimeters, which has led to the retreat of the sea from 10 meters to 100 meters on different coasts.

The detailed studies and measurements of the land that were carried out in the main coastal stations of the Caspian Sea caused a significant increase in the coastal area along more than 850 km of the northern coast of the country, and experts believe that: with the intensification of the water reduction process, we will see further retreat of the sea and exit A major part of the seabed will be in the not-so-distant future.

Considering this natural event, it is necessary for experts to emphasize the importance of the protection of the seabed and the seabed in the first step, and in the next step, it is necessary for the officials concerned to pay serious attention to the consequences of this phenomenon and to plan fundamentally.

Creating challenges in the infrastructure, economic and social uses, disruption in the activity process of ports and seafaring, fishing, drying up of water reserves related to the Caspian Sea (wetlands – bays), increasing the coastal area, human encroachment on the sea And the negative effects on coastal aquifers include the effects of the retreat and lowering of the level of the Caspian Sea, among the negative consequences of the retreat of the Caspian Sea.

The Caspian coast in the north of the country is one of the beautiful and exciting places for local people, travelers and sea-loving tourists, and out of the 800 km length of this blue land, nearly 400 km is in Mazandaran, 286 km is in Gilan and the rest is in Golestan.

Therefore, Mazandaran, having the largest coastal area, has many maritime activities with the creation of infrastructure such as three ports, one in Amirabad Behshahr, the other in Faridoonkanar, and the General Administration of Maritime Affairs of Mazandaran Province in Nowshahr Special Economic Zone, the General Administration of Mazandaran Customs, centered in Nowshahr. , Imam Khomeini University of Marine Sciences (RA) and in addition to these infrastructures, there are many maritime tourism and welfare facilities, fishing centers located in this area.

In this connection, some experts emphasize that in order to reduce the vulnerability caused by the retreat of the Caspian sea water to the infrastructures, the officials should be involved with principled management, necessary knowledge and proper management to overcome this serious challenge. To adopt principle planning area.

According to the experts, the continuation of the Caspian water recession problem will definitely have a negative impact on the economic and social structure and tourism of the West Mazandaran region, and before it is too late, to solve this problem, the world’s largest lake should be held by holding specialized meetings of the countries bordering this sea. Measures should be taken.

The need to pay attention to the integrated management of coastal areas

The professor of tourism in West Mazandaran and East Gilan provinces said: The retreat or advance of Caspian water or any water sources such as seas and oceans is a natural thing, but the experts should carefully check the time periods and its return.

In an interview with IRNA reporter, Mohammadreza Ormozdi added: “Today, we do not have a specific custodian in the discussion of coastal areas, while in the advanced countries of the world, they have integrated coastal management that is supervised by the management of municipalities, local councils, parliament and relevant institutions.”

He considered the lack of integrated management of coastal areas as the Achilles heel of Iran’s coastal tourism industry and emphasized the need for planners to pay attention to this issue.

The need to enter the inactive defense organization

The former Director General of Ports and Maritime Affairs of Mazandaran Province said: In order to develop the infrastructure of the ports of this province at the same time as the Caspian Sea recedes and to prevent disturbances in the movement of the sea transportation fleet, many correspondences have been made with this organization and this issue It is being followed up.

Mohammad Taqi Anzanpour, who recently took charge of the port of Amirabad, Mazandaran, in an interview with IRNA reporter, added: Considering the decreasing trend of the Caspian Sea, non-operational defense organizations should take measures to minimize risks on the coasts.

He stated: Since 2016, a project called the Sedimentation System Project in the port of Nowshahr Special Economic Zone was put on the agenda, and the studies of this project were initiated and completed within three years, and based on it, the ponds of this port are supposed to be several hundred meters The front side should be developed before the fluctuations of the Caspian Sea water in this area, which is the place of loading and unloading of ships, creates a problem, and of course, these predictions were made by the forces of this port, which were carried out correctly.

He stated: In addition to these follow-ups, implementation solutions have also been foreseen and if it is approved by the consultants in the Ports and Maritime Organization, measures such as the water extraction operation of the Caspian Sea will be carried out in an area of ​​about 13.5 hectares.

The Director General of Ports and Maritime Affairs of Mazandaran province said: In this context, new breakwaters will be built on the western side with a length of about 400 meters and on the eastern side with a length of about 650 meters. Dock posts will also go further.

Anzanpour added: What has been investigated in the field is the deepest point of the northern shores of the Caspian Sea in Mazandaran province, in the area of ​​Nowshahr, of course, the water receding in this area is more from the east of this province to the center, and it is predicted that with this trend, the Caspian Sea water will decrease by more than three Decades of inactive defense organizations should take measures so that we see the least risks on the coasts.

He pointed out: Up to this moment, we had no problem in the process of unloading and loading the goods of the sea transport fleet from Russia and Kazakhstan to this port. At the same time as the water level of the Caspian Sea decreased, dredging operations were also carried out to deepen the area of ​​the basin.

Nowshahr port, with an age of about 90 years and an area of ​​about 88 hectares, has 11 commercial and service wharf posts and modern port and marine equipment, with a suitable capacity for unloading and loading all kinds of goods and accepting commercial ships with a capacity of up to six thousand and 500 tons. has the year

Mazandaran province has three active ports including Nowshahr, Faridoonkanar and Amir Abad. The ports of Nowshahr and Faridoonkanar special economic zone are under the supervision of Mazandaran Ports and Maritime Administration located in Nowshahr.

Dam constructions and reducing rainfall are the main factors

In this connection, the assistant professor of the Department of Geology and a member of the academic staff of Azad University, Chalus Branch, said: The retreat of the Caspian Sea is not a new issue. Today, we would not have to worry about drying up the coastal area and its damage to the infrastructure and uses of economic, social and cultural activities.

In an interview with IRNA reporter, Jahangir Esmaili added: In the 1970s, the law defining the Caspian Sea bed and sea level was determined, and the sea level up to a distance of 60 meters was considered part of the sea level, and in some coastal areas, the sea crossed that line and the infrastructure and marine installations have been carried out and this was against the law.

He stated: Since then, unfortunately, some departments and executive bodies, such as natural resources and watershed management, under the pretext of receiving the lease of the coastal land bed, have given the authority of private sectors to create infrastructure such as wharves, sea plans, fishing grounds, and so on. Other tourism facilities.

This member of the academic staff of Islamic Azad University, Chalus branch said: Satellite images have also shown how much the water level of the Caspian Sea was at that time, and today one of the reasons for the decrease in the water level of the Caspian Sea and its decline is due to the construction of dams. It is numerous as well as reducing precipitation.

Negative and different impact on fishing activity

The Director General of Mazandaran Fisheries recently announced to the media during a visit to the mouth of the Babolroud River in the fishing port of Babolsar: the decline of the Caspian Sea has negative and different effects on fishing activities, including sturgeon breeding projects in coastal areas (using seawater). It will bring the traffic of Kilkagir vessels as well as the migration of sea rudkoch fish to the upstream areas of the rivers.

Qasim Karimzadeh said: the mouth of the rivers of the province, which is the meeting place of the sea and the rivers, is the main place of migration and the spawning ground of aquatic animals, which suffer from a decrease in the water level, and this administration takes advantage of people’s participation, especially fishing organizations and executive bodies at the national level. And the provincial, Iranian Fisheries Organization, provincial crisis management, governorates and municipalities are trying to provide suitable conditions for the traffic of fishing vessels and fishing vessels.

According to this provincial official, we have carried out numerous correspondences and follow-ups in this regard, and now a cutter suction device is dredging the paths at the mouth of Babelrud river.

Karimzadeh pointed out: According to the follow-ups, a shovel and barge machine is expected to be provided to the province by the Iranian Fisheries Organization after going through the legal procedures, which we hope will provide the necessary ground for fishing boats to move.

Caspian water regression will affect the border countries

The member of the board of directors and vice president of maritime affairs of the Ports and Maritime Organization said: “The decrease in the water level of the Caspian Sea is not unique to Iran, and this is a serious challenge for all countries along the Caspian Sea.”

Majid Ali Nazi added in the meeting of the Dredging Committee of Northern Ports that was hosted by Nowshahr Port this month: To get out of this crisis, we need to strengthen the equipment and facilities in this area, and effective measures are being taken to achieve our goals of increasing safety. The traffic of commercial ships is to reach.

He pointed out: In recent years, very good actions have been taken in the field of buildings and facilities in the country’s ports, and in the field of fleet and marine equipment and dredging, comprehensive and codified programs are underway.

The member of the board of directors and vice president of maritime affairs of the Ports and Maritime Organization emphasized that planning should be done to solve basic maritime issues and noted that with the existing equipment in the northern ports, necessary measures should be taken to solve their problems, especially in the matter of dredging. because we have always shown that great things can be done with little facilities, and therefore we must make more efforts to achieve favorable and stable conditions.

The situation is critical

In this regard, the member of the executive board and vice president of engineering and development of infrastructure affairs of the Ports and Maritime Organization said: The water level of the Caspian Sea is decreasing in very critical conditions, and as a result, it will cause a series of damages in the coastal strip.

In September of this year, Ali Fathi pointed out in the conference hall of Nowshahr port about the continuous monitoring of the Caspian Sea water level in Mazandaran due to the presence of one of its monitoring devices in Nowshahr and stated: Ports organization has taken measures regarding beaches and dredging. has limitations in terms of technical conditions and equipment.
Referring to the decrease in the water level of the Caspian Sea, he said: Considering this importance, we will have land development in this sector, and the authorities should have plans in different sectors so that the repetition of the bitter history of the past on the coasts can be prevented with proper management.
He pointed out the activities of the coastal committee at the provincial level and clarified: these committees should be used to deal with the challenges, considering that its secretariat is located in the organization, it is requested that the provincial managers, the challenges of the coastal sector in this committee be resolved
Fathi noted: The Ports and Maritime Organization has conducted an integrated management study for 5,800 kilometers of the country’s coastal areas.

The Caspian coast in the north of the country is one of the beautiful and exciting places for the countrymen, which always welcomes a large number of travelers in different seasons of the year. This seven thousand kilometer coastline has undergone many changes over the years and has affected the surrounding countries. The Caspian Sea with an area of ​​600,384 square kilometers is the largest lake in the world, and the countries of Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan are located around this lake and benefit from its benefits.

The Caspian Sea has about 400 aquatic species, which the presence of sturgeon has multiplied its value. Also, after the Persian Gulf and Siberia, the Caspian Sea has the third place in terms of having oil and gas reserves on the coast and under the bed, hence this basin. Water has a great value in social, economic and environmental terms, and the surrounding countries should try to protect it knowing these gifts.