#Ahwazna – Environmental disaster hits Karkheh River after pipeline leak

"Ahwazna"

Leakage of large amounts of diesel fuel in Karkheh River caused the death of thousands of fish and other aquatic organisms.

According to informed sources, leaking large quantities of diesel fuel to the Karkheh River in the past week, foreshadowing severe environmental disaster that more likely will kill the majority of fisheries and other aquatic organisms in Ahwaz.

The sources said that the spill happened after sudden burst in the pipeline which is used by Oil Company for transferring diesel fuel from Ahwaz to Persian territories.

Some experts stated the spill was as a result of negligence and lack of required expertise of the workers of this company.

The sources added that the incident occurred last week in the area known as “Zal" in Lorestan province near to Ahwazi territories and as a result of this incident large parts of the Karkheh River have been contaminated and the polluted substance is on the way to get to a big lake behind the Karkheh Dam, the far north of Ahwaz.

The report pointed out the size of the spill was so vast and dark spots of oil covered about 50 kilometers of the River and emergencies services have so far been not able to contain and clean out entirely the spill.

 During the past week, thousands of fish species have died as the spread of the spill is threatening fisheries in the north of Ahwaz in addition to the adverse effects resulting from the incident on the health of Ahwazi people and their livestock due to their use of contaminated water.

Karkheh River is the second largest river in Ahwaz after Karoon and flows from Zagros Mountains, the natural border between Ahwaz and Persian territories. And the length of the river is 755 km that ends in Hor Al-Azim, the wetlands, in the west of Ahwaz.

In recent years, Karkheh River exposed to deliberate drying as a result of construction of 7 Dams on its course.