TEHRAN – Recent heavy rainfalls have led Jazmourian wetland to be filled by 100 percent, Marjan Mirshakeri, head of Kerman province’s department of environment, has said.

According to the latest observations of satellites, the wetland is fully filled and flooded the surrounding villages.

For the past 40 years, the highest amount of rainfall has poured over the wetland this year, IRNA quoted Mirshakeri as saying on Sunday.

The excessive withdrawal of groundwater resources and permanent drought over the past years along with low precipitation and high-temperature rates, have led the wetland to dry up, and become a hotspot for sand and dust storms, she explained.

Nestled between the provinces of Kerman and Sistan-Baluchestan, Jazmourian is one of the two major wetlands in southeast Iran, which is on the knife-edge of complete desiccation as a result of climate change, excessive dam construction, and the depletion of groundwater resources.

The area of Hamoon and Jazmourian basin stretches to 69,600 square kilometers, with the western part of 35,600 square kilometers in Kerman province and the eastern part of 34,000 square kilometers in Sistan-Baluchestan province.

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