Major river ‘reduced to stagnant pools’

The Zayande river, which cuts through the central Iranian city of Isfahan, has virtually dried up because of the drought in the country, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported on Tuesday. The Zayande, known for tourist photographs of it pouring through the arches of Si-o-Sepol bridge in Isfahan, was now reduced to a few scattered pools of stagnant water, it quoted local press reports as saying. More than half of Iran’s population of 62 million was estimated to be affected by a shortage of drinking water, the report added. Meanwhile, a UN inter-agency mission to explore the drought situation in Iran, has told donors and the Iranian government that the situation was “critical”. UNOCHA in a report last week said immediate international assistance had to be given -especially the provision of water tankers, and assistance with health, livestock and farming. Large portions of Central and South Asia were now affected by the drought. Hardest hit are Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan. However, the disaster has also spread across Mongolia, northern and western China, Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Uzbekistan, an OCHA newsletter said on Wednesday.