Environmental engineering

Type of the Project: Environment

Project status: Completed

Project location: Booshehr Province, Southwest of Iran

Project objective: Reduce and eliminate the threats to, and permanently sustain the Helleh wetland

Project starting date: 2014-Jun-16

Project completion date: 2015- Mar-20

Project duration: One year

Helle

Abstract:

Helleh protected area (about 46783 ha) is located in Bushehr Province, in the southwest of the country. Helleh River is the main source of water supply at Helleh protected area. The construction of Rais Ali Dilavari Dam in 2008 has a significant impact on the discharge of the river. Cultivation of date palms and extra exploitation of water from Shapur and Dalaki rivers has increased water consumption and consequently reduction of entrance discharge of the rivers to the wetland. Moreover, climate change and reduction in rainfall have led to droughts and lack of water which ultimately water shortage has become acute.

Project objectives:

The project, defined on the basis of public-private partnership, supported by the UNDP and coordinated by the Government of Iran (Department of Environment) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) aims to reduce and eliminate the threats to, and permanently sustain the Helleh wetland.

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During the implementation of the project, a number of workshops were organized and conducted by Saman Ab Sarzamin Company as the consultant of the project, attended by beneficiaries and stakeholders of the project in 2015.

  • Values and functions of Helleh wetland

Biodiversity of herbal species, suitable habitat for wetland birds, attendance of winter birds, tourism, prevent from soil erosion, controlling seasonal floods, a pasture of domestic animals, carbon cache, scientific and research and cultural values, high evaluation of foodstuffs and mineral material, improvement of handcrafts, operation and jobbing beside wetland.

  • The threats for the lagoon included:

a. Ecologic: illegal hunting, reduction of biodiversity, wildlife fatality due to road establishment

b. Management: lack of comprehensive management plan, lack of coordination in works related to wetland management, lack of executive guarantee of laws

c. Sociable problems: changing usage of lands, lasting fire of farms to wetland intentional, land conflict, increasing space of farming and water consumption in water catchment, lack of human force of environment, lack of enough education for local societies

d. Water resources: accumulation of sediment of the river during a flood in entrance path to wetland, changing path of the river from the main branch, lack of releasing environmental water by beneficiaries and upstream dams, pollution of entrance water of wetland, inappropriate methods of irrigation and agriculture, famine, dam establishment in upstream, entering polluted drainage of odds to wetland

To facilitate the implementation of the proposed environmental management plan for Helleh Wetland, the organizational structure of the plan has been designed in three different levels: provincial, country, and local levels.

chart

Project outcome:

Environmental management plan:

  • Setting a plan as multi-sectoral and considering whole attitudes of a related group such as local societies
  • Strong executive guarantee for the operating plan from approving management plan in planning council of province and agreement of it in national levels (if possible, in provincial travels of the cabinet)
  • Coordination to make managing structure of Helleh wetland, describing responsibilities and method of communication of this structure with other
  • Supplying enough financial resources
  • Operating prioritized actions of the management plan by related systems and local societies and put a management plan in programming work
  • Supervision on the operation of the plan from the local committee of wetland management and making monitoring system and evaluating the result of the plan
  • Raising awareness of indigenous people by holding a specialized workshop

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Type of the Project: Environment

Project status: Completed

Project Location: East and West of Azerbaijan

Project objective: Reducing damages of natural resources and economic losses of the project area through the management actions against desertification and wind erosion.

Project starting time: Jun 2015

Project completion time: March 2016

Project duration: 10 months

Abstract:

Urmia basin with 51762 Km2 areas is considered as one of the most important basins of the country. Previous studies show that natural factors and human activities have extensively caused wind erosion around Urmia Lake. The habitation around the lake and the livelihood of local people are effective factors on wind erosion. Since by overpopulation, water consumption of the area has increased firstly, the study region has faced the limitation of water resources, secondly vegetation cover of the region has become so poor and the last one is the negative effect on the soil structure of the study area. All in all these factors caused the destruction of natural resources of the area.

On the one hand, changing the land using has led to the growth of communities surrounded of Urmia Lake, on the other hand, the construction of several dams on the main rivers of the basin and the uncontrolled withdrawal of groundwater caused to strongly decreasing of inflow to the lake and as a result drought of the lake has occurred more than past.

Experts believe that long-term droughts, increasing water demand, and the excessive withdrawal of surface water and groundwater by farmers are the most important drought factors of Urmia Lake. Consequently, the mist from the bed of the lake threatens the health of the million of people who live in the project area.

By studying Physiography, Geomorphology, Meteorology, water resources (Hydrology, groundwater resources), Geology, Erosion and sedimentation, vegetation cover and field sampling, and query with local people, some solution had found in line with the objective of the project.

urmia lake

Location of the project area (Urmia lake and it's surrounding) 

Project outcome:

Our team had presented several suggestions to solve challenges such as:

  • It doesn’t recommend to mulching on banks of the lake for sand dunes fixation
  • Study on tourism plans which are compatible with the climate of the study area
  • Restrain hazes by installation some towers which like antenna tower – based on the identification of the source of the producing of hazes, these kinds of towers have 50m height (like antenna tower) and it is better to be placed in certain intervals from each other. They linked to each other with a strong water hose, also they have pores to discharge extra water. These towers have some anemometers and hygrometers on them. By reaching the velocity of wind up to 8 m/s and the moisture less than 10%, the water would be pumped from the reservoir into the towers, so that by spraying water from strings among towers, the hazes will be controlled.
  • Using solar panels floating on the surface of the lake to reduce evaporation volume and producing clean and renewable energy. Unfortunately, this technology hasn’t operated in Iran yet because it is too expensive.
  • By considering the fact that there is a lack of some special kinds of trees species and shrubs in this region, we offered cultivation of Atriplex Canescens and Nitraria Schoberi species, not only do confront against dust and wind erosion, but also improve vegetation cover of the area and more occupation jobs in the region

Urmia 2

Type of the Project: Environment

Project status: Completed

Project location: Maharloo Wetland, Shiraz Province

Project objective: 

  • Estimation of water needs based on different indicators including fined dust control and wetland bed, the habitat of animal species, vegetation cover, tourism, rehabilitation, and development of the ecosystem  
  • Providing regional development plans and baseline monitoring

Project starting date: 2018-Apr-25

Project completion date: 2018-Jul-22

Project duration: 2 months

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Central Office:

Central Office: Unit 2, No. 27, 39 Al., Sheikh Fazlollah Highway, Sattarkhan St., Tehran, Iran

Fax & Tel No.: +982166525297 and +982166533314-8

Email: [email protected]

location sattarkhan