TEHRAN - Building several dams over the Aras border river and constructing walls on the zero point of the border by Turkey has led to a spread of sand and dust storms into western and southern parts of Iran, Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri has said.

In a letter to Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian, the prosecutor general said it is necessary to follow up on the issue of receiving water right from the border river in order to prevent any further loss to the economy and agriculture of the region, IRNA reported.

Sand and dust storms (SDSs) have been plaguing the country for several years, causing problems in many provinces. According to experts, natural and human factors are involved in the occurrence and severity of this phenomenon which is mainly caused by excessive consumption of water and drying up reservoirs.

Out of 8 large SDS hotspots with an area of about 270 million hectares around Iran, five are located in neighboring and non-neighboring countries of the Persian Gulf, Ali Mohammad Tahmasebi, head of the national working group for mitigating SDSs, has said.

In the past four years, about €370 million has been spent by the National Development Fund to combat SDSs, which had good results, but it seems that the annual credit is declining as conditions improve, he added.

MG