“Seven to 12 hectares of Anzali Wetland reeds have been burned in the fire”

On the third day of the fire in Anzali Wetland, a water-spraying plane was finally dispatched to the area. The Director General of Guilan's Crisis Management says that so far, at least seven hectares of the Anzali Wetland's reed beds have been burned and damaged.

According to local officials, the fire in the Anzali Wetland began on Monday evening, September 27, and due to the natural characteristics of the area, containing and extinguishing the fire has been difficult.

According to ISNA news agency, Amir Moradi, Director General of Guilan's Crisis Management, said on Wednesday that yesterday evening, the reeds in the Cheragh Poshtan area on the edge of the Anzali Wetland flared up again, and the fire, which continued until this morning, subsided with the morning fog.

Yesterday, Mohammad Mehdi Nouri Al-Agha, head of the Ministry of Defense's Fire Control and Support Center, announced the dispatch of a water-spraying helicopter to Anzali, saying: "This fire occurred in parts of the Anzali wetland that are covered by reeds and it is not possible for fire engines to travel to extinguish the ground fire."

Amir Moradi also says that on Wednesday afternoon, an Ilyushin water-spraying plane finally arrived at the Guilan airport and is helping local forces put out the fire.

This is the same plane that was recently sent to Turkey to help extinguish devastating fires, and for this reason, its late arrival in Gilan province has been met with much sarcasm and criticism on social media.

The Director General of Guilan's Crisis Management, who had previously predicted that 10 hectares of Anzali Wetland would be damaged in the fire, said: "About seven hectares of the Anzali Wetland's reeds have burned, and fortunately, timely measures and the great efforts of the agencies involved in crisis management prevented the predicted damage."

Intentional and historical fires

Akbar Sobhani, the prosecutor of Anzali, says the fire in the wetland was intentional and that the police have arrested two people in connection with the incident, who are being monitored to complete the case. The Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor of Gilan Province has said that the number of accused has increased to five. According to him, one person has been arrested and four are under surveillance.

According to IRNA, the judicial official said in this regard: "Profit-seeking individuals whose land is adjacent to the wetland are setting fire to these reeds to increase their occupation of the wetland. These individuals are seeking to increase their occupation, and the origin of the deliberate fires of recent days and years is human factors."

The government news agency announced the area damaged by the fire as 12 hectares, and said that on September 25, five hectares of reeds in the village of Shanghai Parde Anzali were set on fire, indicating that the fire was intentional with the aim of consuming land.

According to this report, in 2019, 10 hectares of the Anzali Wetland reeds were set on fire, which local officials say was intentional and motivated by land grabbing.

Anzali Wetland, with an area of ​​about 20,000 hectares, was registered on the list of international and protected wetlands in 2015, but is currently facing various crises, including reduced water inflow and severe pollution.

Source: DW