ZAHEDAN, Sistan-Baluchestan province --- Following the total drying up of Hirmand River earlier flowing from Afghanistan into Sistan and the drought over the past four year, the world's seventh pond, `Hamoun' in Sistan area, southeastern Iran has been dried up.

Hamoun pond located to the north of Sistan-Baluchestan Province measuring 130,000 hectares, whose capacity mounted to ten billion sq.ms, was the only fresh-water lake in Iran which due to its suitable and diverse plant coverage served as a safe place for the wildlife and birds, IRNA reported.

The pond played a decisive role for the residents of the area in earning their lives, specially those residing the borders of Hamoun lake.

According to environmental experts, thousands of hectares of pasture, cane plantations as well as planting and forest coverage provided a safe and protected habitat for the animals such as deer, otter, fox, wild cat and tens of other beasts, a great variety of aquatics and over 200,000 migrant birds arriving in the area from the northern parts of the world, who have now vanished.

They added, "Once Hamoun lake was full of water, annually around 8,000-13,000 tons of fish were caught by 1,100 fishermen." The lake served as the habitat of five species of ethnic fish and 123 migrants as well as ethnic birds.

The Managing Director of Sistan-Baluchestan Province Department of the Environment (DOE) Zabihollah Akrami said, "Before the recent drought over 500 ewes, rams and goats had been identified which are scattered over hamoun plain, the northern heights of the province and south of Khorasan Province." He added that Hamoun pond, measuring around 4,000 sq.kms was registered as the world's seventh pond in Ramsar international convention in 1995.

Underlining that Iran should claim its right to the water of Hirmand river in Afghanistan, he said, "According to the available data, this year fairly good rainfalls and snowfalls has been observed in the water-flowing portions of Hirmand river in central Afghanistan." He added that small and big dams have been constructed over the river which is known as `Helmand', which stop the water from flowing toward Sistan.

He noted, "On th basis of Iran-Afghanistan ties, it is hoped that the state and provincial authorities will proceed with claiming our rights to the water of Hirmand river not only to save the Hamoun lake, but to spare the residents of Sistan area from the difficulties they have encountered." According to the villagers from Sistan, Hamoun lake drying up from one side and 120-day fierce seasonal winds on the other, have contributed to pushing the drifts of sand towards rural and urban areas and that a number of villages have so far been buried under drifts of sand.