UNDP supports North Khorasan’s effort to prevent environmental degradation

We are in great danger.  Even just in terms of the water problem we face in this country.  I have traveled to the four corners of Iran and seen the anguish and pain in the faces of citizens whose livelihoods are in jeopardy,” said UN Resident Coordinator, Gary Lewis, AVA Diplomatic reports.

 “I have been to Lake Urmia which is devastated environmentally.  I have seen the salt air blowing around the lake and destroying the agriculture fields around the edges of the lake.  I have seen the dried and cracked riverbed of the Zayandeh Rud River [in Isfahan].  I have spoken to farmers in Fars Province around Shiraz whose lands are becoming more salty as a result of overuse of water.  I have spoken to engineers in Mashhad who worry about how fast the water table of that city is dropping.  And I have spoken to fishermen in the Hamouns who no longer can provide for their families because there is no water and no fish.”

Mr. Lewis was speaking to an audience headed by the Governor-General of North Khorasan province, Mr. Seyed Ali-Akbar Parvizi.  The purpose of the meeting was to determine how – with the help of a collection of UNDP projects, the province could avoid the man-made catastrophes which he was describing.

Also assembled were Mr. Khoda Karam Jalali, Deputy Minister and Head of Forest, Range and Watershed Management Organization (FRWO), and Mr. Peiman Sa’adat, Deputy General of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In his opening remarks Mr. Jalali said: “Climate change, shortage of water and desertification are challenges faced by many people in different corners of the world.  These environmental challenges have heavily impacted the sustainability and livelihood of people.  The story in Iran is no different.  The devastating situation of some of our lakes and wetlands, the persistent degradation of dryland ecosystems and land degradation alert us that something needs to be done soon and that overcoming environmental challenges needs to be prioritized.”

Mr. Jalali added: “In my opinion when the government together with international organizations and the local community join forces, overcoming these challenges becomes possible.  Change cannot happen overnight but with proper planning and management of resources and more importantly the involvement of local community, we can – as we have witnessed in some of our joint projects like the Carbon Sequestration Project (CSP) – see positive results.”