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WILTED OASIS: STORIES OF DROUGHT IN IRAN’S SISTAN BALUCHISTAN
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Includes 47 images
Credit: Solmaz Daryani via Visura
Asset ID: VA28832
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Copyright: © Solmaz Daryani, 2024
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Location: iran
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Solmaz Daryani

Based in United Kingdom

Solmaz Daryani is an Iranian documentary photographer loosely based between Iran and the UK. She is a grantee of the Magnum Foundation, National Geographic Society grantee, and a member of Women Photograph and Diversify Photo. Her work...
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Also by Solmaz Daryani —
The tourists take pictures in the Martian (Merrikhi) Mountains which are one of the country's most well-known tourist attractions. They are located in Sistan and Baluchestan province.
Afghanistan is preventing the flow of the Hirmand borderline river into Iran. The complete disruption of the water from the Hirmand River in Afghanistan in 2017 has led to an increase in the severity of the drought in Iran compared to the previous years. Due to limited water resources, in 2017 the government began to draw attention to this region for the purpose of tourism, so that the capacity of sectors not dependent on water, might improve the life of the people in Sistan.Baluchistan Province.Iran.2018
Children are playing around the Chah Nimeh reservoirs. The Chah Nimeh reservoirs are large natural holes in Sistan province into which Hirmand river water is directed. In times of water shortage, Sistan’s drinking water and some part of its farming water are provided through this artificial lake. The only sign of water in the Sistan landscape is the Chah Nimeh reservoir.
During 20 years, the Hamun wetlands had vanished after the South Asia region was hit by the most persistent drought. besides building many dams at the Upstream Hirmand, Afghanistan refuses to adapt to Iran’s water rights and violates its water agreements. Sistan province.2018
Women are looking for herbs on their agricultural land in a village close to the Afghanistan border. The people of this village water their farmlands using the floodwater, or precipitation in Afghanistan, and sometimes from the surplus water from Hirmand river that flows from Afghanistan into Iran.Sistan province. Iran. 2018
While praying in dried Hamun wetlands, Haji Mahmoud, a resident of Zabol city, says: I always pray for rain in my daily prayer. Hamun wetlands In Iran-Afghanistan border substantially dried up Due to drought and Iran-Afghan Differences over Helmand River And the construction of large dams on the River for poppy cultivation in Afghanistan.Helmand-Zabol road. Sistan Province, Iran.2018
Miran, 17, is studying on the shoulder of the dirt road of the village. Kumitak is the main road used to smuggle fuel to Afghanistan. He says: “I don’t want to be a fuel smuggler like most men in the village. I want to study and go to university; that way I may find a better job, but I’m not hopeful.” Finding a job is the most important reason for immigration in this region. Due to limited water resources and with no diversity in the economy among people who depend on agriculture, drought, poverty, unemployment and addiction has spread through the region. Baluchestan province.2018
Mount Khajeh, a site with historical and religious significance dates back to the first century A.D. In the not too distant past (20 years ago) Lake Hamun was filled with water and Mount Khwaja rose glamorously like an island among the waters of the lake. But within these 20 years, the waters around it have been drenched. Sistan province.Iran.2018
Iranian tourists take leisurely walks down the Oman beach in the port of Beris which is located 60 km east of Chabahar area in Sistan and Baluchistan province. Regardless of the population of more than 5,000 people and being on the sea, people lack secure access to freshwater in the Beris port. They still use tankers for drinking water.

Despite the scarcity of water sources, 2017 witnessed an increase in the number of tourists to Sistan and Baluchestan, which promised to bring in some solace for the tottering local economy in which 95% of people living under the poverty line. The main attractions were sectors that did not depend on water. However, it failed to effect a significant change. Balochistan province. Iran. 2018

Iranian tourist couple takes leisurely walks down the Oman beach in the port of Beris which is located 60 km east of Chabahar area in Sistan and Baluchistan province. Regardless of the population of more than 5,000 people and being on the sea, people lack secure access to freshwater in the Beris port. They still use tankers for drinking water.

Despite the scarcity of water sources, 2017 witnessed an increase in the number of tourists to Sistan and Baluchestan, which promised to bring in some solace for the tottering local economy in which 95% of people living under the poverty line. The main attractions were sectors that did not depend on water. However, it failed to effect a significant change. Balochistan province. Iran. 2018
The village of Ghorghori is a remote village on the border of Iran-Afghanistan, has seen a reduction in the number of its households. with no diversity in the economy among people who depend on agriculture and raising livestock in the last 20 years, the people of this region have been forced to migrate due to the drought, unemployment and difficult living conditions, as the Hamun wetlands have dried up.

18 years of drought, climate change, state mismanagement and the building of dams in neighbouring Afghanistan refusing to adapt to Iran’s water rights are blamed for the disappearance of the wetlands. Sistan and Baluchestan province.Iran.2018
Shaker, 25 lives in Sistan province in  Bonjar village close to Hamun wetlands in Iran. He says: "It's been a severe drought for years and Afghanistan is preventing the flow of the Hirmand river into Iran. Water shortages have destroyed our agricultural land and to continue living, I and my brothers have to smuggle fuel to Afghanistan"

18 years of drought, climate change, state mismanagement and the building of dams in neighbouring Afghanistan refusing to adapt to Iran’s water rights are blamed for the disappearance of the wetlands. Sistan and Baluchestan province.Iran.2018 Sistan-Baluchistan province, Iran.2018.
Mahmin, 24, a father of two, is smoking opium on the edge of a dried-up tributary which used to flow into Hamun river. Before the river dried up he farmed with his family but due to the drought and water shortage and the increased difficulty of farming in these conditions he has given up this job. There are no jobs other than farming and animal husbandry for the people of the region. Earning a small living has forced many into smuggling fuel.

18 years of drought, climate change, state mismanagement and the building of dams in neighbouring Afghanistan refusing to adapt to Iran’s water rights are blamed for the disappearance of the wetlands. Baluchistan province. Iran.2018
Water shortage in the village of Arbab on the Iran-Afghanistan border has eradicated agriculture and animal husbandry and increased unemployment and poverty. It has been 18 years that the lives of the inhabitants of Sistan are exposed to danger and difficulty due to the drought, water shortage and the controlling regulation of Hirmand river water by Afghanistan. Sistan province.2018
Ahmad lives in Ghaleh-Now village, near the Afghanistan border. He sets fire to the weeds that grow along the river. His neighbours let him know that his turn for watering his land has come. The people of this village water their farmlands using the floodwater, or precipitation in Afghanistan, and sometimes from the surplus water from Hirmand river that flows from Afghanistan into Iran.Sistan province.Iran.2018
The couple rests on the coast of Pink lake(Lipar lake) in the Chabahar region. It is a free port (Free Trade Zone) on the coast of the Gulf of Oman.

Sistan, as a distant and isolated province with the agriculture-dependent economy, dying up of the Hamun wetland have created difficulties for livelihoods

Despite the scarcity of water sources, 2017 witnessed an increase in the number of tourists to Sistan and Baluchestan, which promised to bring in some solace for the tottering local economy in which 95% of people living under the poverty line. The main attractions were sectors that did not depend on water. However, it failed to effect a significant change. Balochistan province. Iran.2018
An Iranian woman poses for a picture on the coast of Oman Gulf in Chabahar region. It is a free port (Free Trade Zone) on the coast of the Gulf of Oman. As a distant and isolated province with the agriculture-dependent economy, dying up of the Hamun wetland have created difficulties for livelihoods.

In March 2017, provincial tourism authorities announced putting a new face to Sistan-Baluchestan was on their agenda in a bid to turn it into a tourist destination, which promised to bring in some solace for the tottering local economy in which 95% of people living under the poverty line. The main attractions were sectors that did not depend on water. However, it failed to effect a significant change. Balochistan province. Iran.2018

Karim, 18, was born in a village near Oman Sea and is a fisherman. His parents immigrated to Tang port on the coast of Oman Sea years ago because of the drought that has struck the Hamun wetland. Balochistan province.

with no diversity in the economy among people who depend on agriculture and raising livestock in the last 20 years, the people of this region have been forced to migrate to other regions due to the drought, unemployment and difficult living conditions, as the Hamun wetlands have dried up. Iran.2018
A greenhouse destroyed in Dost Mohammad village in Border of Afghanistan, due to the drought and dust storms arose from dry lake beds of the once-moist Hamun wetlands Sistan province.
With no diversity in the economy among people who depend on agriculture and raising livestock in the last 20 years, the people of this region have been forced to migrate due to the drought, unemployment and severe living conditions, as the Hamun wetlands have dried up.

18 years of drought, climate change, state mismanagement and the building of dams in neighbouring Afghanistan refusing to adapt to Iran’s water rights are blamed for the disappearance of the wetlands. Helmand Zabol Road.Sistan and Baluchestan province.Iran.2018
Khani lives in poverty with his only son in Ghal-e Now village. When we asked her about the drought that has struck the Hamun Oasis, she began crying, while covering her face. Her only source of income is a plot of land given to her by the government. Her land is watered by a limited supply of precipitation, and sometimes from the surplus floodwater from Hirmand river that flows from Afghanistan, her land is barely cultivatable due to the high level of soil salinity and water scarcity.

Due to limited water resources and with no diversity in the economy among people who depend on agriculture, drought, poverty, unemployment and addiction has spread through the region.  Sistan province.Iran.2018
Ahmad Rakhshani has planted poppy in his garden for personal consumption.“The Afghanistan government has tried to make big dams in the upper region of the Helmand River to prevent the water to our side in Iran, and the government in Iran doesn't care about our rights.”
Hamun wetlands in Iran-Afghanistan border substantially dried up due to drought and Iran-Afghan disputes over Hirmand River and the construction of large dams on the River for poppy cultivation in Afghanistan have worsened the crisis. Sistan Province, Iran.2018
Mardan, 63, who is from Poudineh village in the proximity of Iran-Afghanistan border, has lost more than 15 of his live stocks due to the draught, water and feedstuff shortage, in the course of 2 years. Sistan province.Iran.2018
Most of the inhabitants of the village have turned to gasoline smuggling to make ends meet. They fill barrels with gasoline in the comfort of their own private yards. people in this village still use tankers for drinking water.

Finding a job is the most important reason for immigration in this region. with no diversity in the economy among people who depend on agriculture and raising livestock in the last 20 years, the people of this region have been forced to migrate to other regions or smuggling gasoline to Afghanistan.

Sistan and Baluchistan's population is around 2.700.000 and half of this population according to the ministry of the Interior live in rural areas at the same time the poorest province of Iran.water access index in the village of Sistan. Baluchistan is less than 46 per cent according to the ministry of Energy. Sarbaz. Baluchistan province.Iran.2018


A boy walks from his village toward the dirt road of Kumitak, which is the main road used to smuggle fuel to Afghanistan. Most of the inhabitants of the village have turned to gasoline smuggling to make ends meet. They fill barrels with gasoline in the comfort of their own private yards. people in this village still use tankers for drinking water.

Finding a job is the most important reason for immigration in this region. with no diversity in the economy among people who depend on agriculture and raising livestock in the last 20 years, the people of this region have been forced to migrate to other regions or smuggling gasoline to Afghanistan.

Sistan and Baluchistan's population is around 2.700.000 and half of this population according to the ministry of the Interior live in rural areas at the same time the poorest province of Iran.water access index in the village of Sistan. Baluchistan is less than 46 per cent according to the ministry of Energy. Sarbaz. Baluchistan province.Iran.2018
A boy from the village of Kumitak climbs a date tree next to a fuel-smuggling dirt road,  which is the main road used to smuggle fuel to Afghanistan. Most of the inhabitants of the village have turned to gasoline smuggling to make ends meet. They fill barrels with gasoline in the comfort of their own private yards. People in this village still use tankers for drinking water.

Finding a job is the most important reason for immigration in this region. with no diversity in the economy among people who depend on agriculture and raising livestock in the last 20 years, the people of this region have been forced to migrate to other regions or smuggling gasoline to Afghanistan.

Sistan and Baluchistan's population is around 2.700.000 and half of this population according to the ministry of the Interior live in rural areas at the same time the poorest province of Iran.water access index in the village of Sistan. Baluchistan is less than 46 per cent according to the ministry of Energy. Sarbaz. Baluchistan province.Iran.2018

The fishermen wait for their turn to go to sea. two of them migrated from Sistan province to ports of Oman sea. Quoting from the Zabul representative in the Iranian parliament (Mr.Habibolah Dehmarde), in the past two decades, 25-30 per cent of the population of the Sistan region have migrated to the suburbs of other cities due to the lack of access to water for farming, unemployment and the death of Hamun wetlands and their ecosystem.

Most of the residents in Zabol, especially farmers and livestock breeders, after seeing their farms dried and their livestock lost, have decided to move to neighbouring cities and regions. Tang port.Balouchestan province.Iran.2018

Ziba, 11, who is from Sistan, has moved to Hormoz Island with her family in Balochistan province. They are making a living by selling handicrafts to the tourists that come to visit the Hormuz Island.

Quoting from the Zabul representative in the Iranian parliament, Mr.Habibolah Dehmarde), in the past two decades, 25-30 per cent of the population of the Sistan region have migrated to the suburbs of other cities due to the lack of access to water for farming, unemployment and the death of Hamun wetlands and their ecosystem.

Most of the residents in Zabol, especially farmers and livestock breeders, after seeing their farms dried and their livestock lost, have decided to move to neighbouring cities and regions. Hormuz Island.Balouchestan province.Iran.2018
Yaser, 19, lives in the Balouchestan region. He is moving to the university dormitory to continue his studies. He is a geography student and hopes to help solve the water crisis in his region by continuing his studies in this field. 

His lives with his family in Kumitak village next to a fuel-smuggling dirt road,  which is the main road used to smuggle fuel to Afghanistan. Most of the inhabitants of the village have turned to gasoline smuggling to make ends meet. They fill barrels with gasoline in the comfort of their own private yards. People in this village still use tankers for drinking water.

Finding a job is the most important reason for immigration in this region. with no diversity in the economy among people who depend on agriculture and raising livestock in the last 20 years, the people of this region have been forced to migrate to other regions or smuggling gasoline to Afghanistan.Baluchestan province.Iran.2018
Mohammad, 16, is preparing the land for farming with the help of his father and brother, by burning the weed. The family live in Jazinak village in Sistan province, and agriculture is their only source of livelihood. He says " the wind of 120 days and dust storm season has expanded and last year half the year we had dust storms. When
the wind blows, sand particles accumulate behind walls. Gradually sands mounds build up and
bury walls and yard."

The family water their land using the water from the well they have dug in their farm. Illegal wells are the reason that the underground water levels have dropped which has cause the Sistan water crisis. Jazinak village. Sistan province.Iran.2018
The drought of Hamun Lake, on the one hand, and the 120-day winds of Sistan and Baluchistan, on the other hand, has affected the environmental conditions of the eastern borderland villages. severe drought, Houses buried in the sandstorm and air-filled dust, have left some people with no choice but to migrate to cities such as Mashhad, Tehran, Gorgan and Karaj so that some of these villages are vacant, and those that have remained are facing serious problems. Kanarek village.Sistan province.Iran.2018
Mohammed,48, is watering his land from a stream of the Helmand River. He says "I am lucky that my farmland is next to a stream of the Hirmand river where water sometimes flows from of Afghanistan."

The irony that surrounds Sistan and Balouchestan is that although the region is struck by drought, there is no change in the old irrigation methods and people water their lands using traditional methods. Sistan province.Iran. 2018
Khorsand, 52, has sold his agricultural land in Sistan and moved to a village beside Pink lake(Lipar lake) close to Oman Gulf. He is making a living through giving rides to tourists on the only camel he owns. Drought, unemployment and poverty are the reasons that made him leave his land.

Sistan, as a distant and isolated province with the agriculture-dependent economy, dying up of the Hamun wetland have created difficulties for livelihoods.

Despite the scarcity of water sources, 2017 witnessed an increase in the number of tourists to Sistan and Baluchestan, which promised to bring in some solace for the tottering local economy in which 95% of people living under the poverty line. The main attractions were sectors that did not depend on water. However, it failed to effect a significant change. Balochistan province. Iran.2018

 Mohammad, 29, who is from Sistan, has moved to Gwadar Bay (the last common border point between Iran and Pakistan) and is employed as a fisherman. Gwadar Bay is a relatively small bay along the Makran coast in the Oman Sea. Gwadar residents live waterless alongside the vast Oman Sea. The Gwadar has no piped water supply.  They still use tankers for drinking water.

Despite the scarcity of water sources, 2017 witnessed an increase in the number of tourists to Sistan and Baluchestan, which promised to bring in some solace for the tottering local economy in which 95 per cent of people living under the poverty line. The main attractions were sectors that did not depend on water. However, it failed to effect a significant change. Balochistan province. Iran.2018
The trucks are smuggling gasoline inside barrels into Pakistan. The barrels are filled at the border villages of Sistan and Balouchistan, and then sneaked into the other side of the border by the locals who look at this venture as the only source of their livelihood.Baluchistan province. Iran.2018.
Hamid, 16, helps his father with animal husbandry. He lives with his family in Kumitak village, which is beside the dirt road of Kumitak, which is the main road used to smuggle fuel to Afghanistan. The primary source of income for this family is from agriculture and animal husbandry. "Fuel smuggling is very dangerous," he says, "if my father makes a living from agriculture, he will never smuggle."

 Most of the inhabitants of the village have turned to gasoline smuggling to make ends meet. They fill barrels with gasoline in the comfort of their own private yards. People in this village still use tankers for drinking water. Baluchistan province.Iran.2018
Bozorg Baravai, around 70 years old from Helmand region in Sistan province. She has asthma for 12 years, and when the strong Wind of 120 days blows, her cough becomes bloody and severe. He is poor and cannot afford to pay for her treatment.

Dust storms have created havoc in the Sistan and Baluchestan provinces in Iran. Drying of Hamun Wetland due to Afghanistan refusing to adapt to Iran’s water rights, droughts, climate change, and the lack of proper water management is threatening people’s health and income. Hamun wetlands, historical natural heritage for Iranians and Afghans major sources of the sand and dust storms. Sistan Province.Iran.2018
Wind of 120 days is a strong summer wind that blows from late in May to late in September in Sistan province. dust storms have created havoc in the south and southwestern provinces. Drying of Hamun wetlands, a historical natural heritage for Iranians and Afghans, have become major sources of the sand and dust storms. Global warming, declining precipitation and drought have exacerbated the region’s plight as it struggles with ever-increasing levels of sand and dust pollution. Sistan province.Iran.2018
Ahmad, 14, lives in Ghaleh-Now village. The village is on the way of the Hamun river flowing from Afghanistan to Iran.he lost his father in a road accident while he was smuggling gasoline to Afghanistan. There are no jobs other than farming and animal husbandry for the people of the region. Earning a small living has forced many into smuggling fuel.

Finding a job is the most important reason for immigration in this region. with no diversity in the economy among people who depend on agriculture and raising livestock in the last 20 years, the people of this region have been forced to migrate to other regions or smuggling gasoline to Afghanistan. Ghale-Now village. Sistan and Baluchestan province.Iran.2018

The irony that surrounds Sistan and Balouchestan is that although the region is hit hard by drought, there is no change in the old irrigation methods and people water their lands using traditional methods. Sistan province. Iran.2018
Children's Farther said "people here love their land and livestock and they don't want to leave them. Both farming and animal husbandry are major occupations in the region. Agricultural lands have substantially dried up and People had to sell their livestock too. people migrate to nearby regions. Sistan province.2018
More than 2000 villages are supplied water with tankers and many of them do not have healthy drinking water. The worn, empty and old water tank in the borderline village of Bari-E Mir Ghul.

High population, more rural population than urban population, the persistence of droughts,  scarcity of water resources, deficient rainfall and historical backlog in water supply infrastructure are characteristic features of Sistan and Baluchestan province. After the Hirmand River was dried up, the people of the area lost their farming, and the farmland has now become dry, waterless and grassland. Also, with the drying up of the Hamun fishery in the area, which was one of the indigenous occupations in the area, the boats left in this dry wetland show an unfortunate and critical situation in the area. Sistan and Baluchestan province. Iran.2018
Sahra,19, mother of 2 children, washes the dishes in Sarbaz river. the family uses their water tank only for drinking water. Some of the families who are less financially capable use this water to wash their clothes and do other daily chores. More than 2000 villages in Sistan and Baluchestan province are supplied water with tankers and many of them do not have healthy drinking water.Kumitak village.Sistan and Baluchestan province.Iran.2018
A boy walks from his village toward the dirt road of Kumitak, which is the main road used to smuggle fuel to Afghanistan. Most of the inhabitants of the village have turned to gasoline smuggling to make ends meet. They fill barrels with gasoline in the comfort of their own private yards. people in this village still use tankers for drinking water.


High population, more rural population than urban population, the persistence of droughts,  scarcity of water resources, deficient rainfall and historical backlog in water supply infrastructure are characteristic features of Sistan and Baluchestan province.

After the Hirmand River was dried up, the people of the area lost their farming, and the farmland has now become dry, waterless and grassland. Also, with the drying up of the Hamun fishery in the area, which was one of the indigenous occupations in the area, the boats left in this dry wetland show an unfortunate and critical situation in the area. Kumitak village.Baluchistan province.Iran.2018



children play volleyball on the shoulder of the dirt road of the village. This is the main road used to smuggle fuel to Afghanistan. 8 students migrated from villages around Hamun lagoon due to the drought. Kumitak village.Balochistan province.Iran.2018
Father and son stand by the boat left in Hamun arid land.40 Mohammed was a farmer and fisherman before dry up of Hamun Lake.now the only job left for him is animal husbandry.

After the complete disruption of the water from the Hirmand River in Afghanistan, which led to an increase in the severity of the drought in Iran, the people of the area lost their agricultural activities. The farmlands have now become a wasteland. Also, with the drying up of the Hamun wetlands, fishing in the area, which was one of the indigenous businesses in the area, has completely disappeared. The abandoned boats in this dried-up wetland indicate a very bad and critical situation of the region.Qorqori Rural District.Sistan Province.Iran.2018
The irony that surrounds Sistan and Balouchestan is that although the region is hit hard by drought, there is no change in the old irrigation methods and people water their lands using traditional methods. Jazinak village. Sistan province.Iran.2018
The broken and empty fishing boats are left here and there along the arid shore of Hamun-e Helmand in Qorqori Rural District.  As a distant and isolated province with an almost entirely agriculture-based economy, many families have migrated from the villages of Sistan to neighbouring provinces and regions due to 20 years of regional drought, climate change and the building of dams in neighbouring Afghanistan refusing to adapt to Iran’s water rights. Qorqori Rural District.Sistan Province.Iran.2018


Cemetery of the Burnt City, known as Shahr-e Sukhteh in Persian, is a 5000-year-old  archaeological site of Sistan basin founded next to a presently dried-up branch of the Hirmand River and abandoned approximately a millennium later. The most probable explanation for this community displacement is the alteration of the watercourse of the nearby former branch of the river. This site is one of the most important tourist attractions of the province.

Despite the scarcity of water sources, 2017 witnessed an increase in the number of tourists to Sistan and Baluchestan, which promised to bring in some solace for the tottering local economy in which 95% of people living under the poverty line. The main attractions were sectors that did not depend on water. However, it failed to effect a significant change. Balochistan province.Shahr-i-Sokhteh. Iran.2018
A local woman walks through the mud houses of the Ghale-Now village, which is a historic village dating back 1200 years. She says" Many have moved here and gone. People here are farmers and ranchers unless it is a drought year. There has not been a drop of rain since last year. Pray for the rain to come."

After the complete disruption of the water from the Hirmand River in Afghanistan, which led to an increase in the severity of the drought in Iran, the people of the area lost their agricultural activities. The farmlands have now become a wasteland. Also, with the drying up of the Hamun wetlands, fishing in the area, which was one of the indigenous businesses in the area, has completely disappeared. The abandoned boats in this dried-up wetland indicate a very bad and critical situation of the region. Ghale-Now village.Sistan province.Iran.2018