Iranian officials warned that the Gulf of Gorgan, the largest bay of the Caspian Sea, remains at risk of a “silent crisis,” saying dredging alone will not be enough to secure its long-term survival as water levels continue to fall.
Authorities say emergency dredging of the Ashouradeh channel in recent years helped restore limited water flow, reduce salinity and prevent the bay and the nearby Miankaleh wetland from drying out completely.
But experts caution the measures have only bought time, leaving the fragile ecosystem vulnerable to continued retreat of the Caspian Sea, disrupted natural inflows and renewed sedimentation.
Saeed Rasouli, head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization, said studies carried out by the agency showed that pumping water from the Caspian Sea into the bay was a necessary parallel step to dredging, but the plan has not yet been fully implemented.
He said updated engineering assessments were under way to determine how much of the current degradation is due to reduced depth, falling sea levels or new sediment layers.
Officials say feasibility studies have confirmed that installing pumping stations could help sustain the bay for at least the next 20 years, but the project remains stalled pending further technical work and implementation by the energy ministry.
Rasouli added that Iran had urged greater regional cooperation at a recent Caspian Sea meeting, warning that the shrinking bay reflects a broader environmental challenge shared by all five littoral states.
