The Pollution of the Aras River
The Ministry of Energy intends to divert water from the Aras River to supply drinking water to Tabriz and the small towns along its route. While the Ministry of Energy itself, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Parliamentary Commission for Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources and Environment confirm that this water is contaminated with heavy metals. The only body responsible for monitoring water pollution that remains silent on the matter is the Environmental Protection Organisation. However, studies from that very organisation confirm the presence of 59 heavy metals in the riverbed. Yet the Ministry of Energy says it intends to transfer the water from unpolluted areas, without specifying where. The spokesperson for Iran's water industry confirms the transfer of water from upstream of the pollutants' entry (upstream of the Khoda Afarin Dam), but does not specify the exact location. It appears the upstream contaminated area, due to pollution entering from Armenia’s copper mines, must be somewhere outside Iran’s borders. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that negotiations with Armenia are underway to address the pollution of the Aras River. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasises that it is not being lenient with Armenia regarding the pollution, but it is also unaware of the Ministry of Energy’s decision on the location for the water transfer.
Parliament emphasises an important issue: the National Environmental Protection Organisation, despite a request from Parliament, has not provided a report on the latest monitoring of the Aras River. Some MPs and media outlets have announced that they have not yet received a clear response from the Environmental Protection Organisation on this matter. In addition, over fifty government and academic studies detail the pollution. There are now three major questions about the plan to transfer water from this river for drinking purposes. The river, documents say, has had its ecosystem polluted by the continuous influx of contaminants, and traces of heavy metals can be detected in the muscles of Aras fish and over a 150-kilometre stretch of Iranian soil. The first question is directed at the Ministry of Energy: ‚Where exactly is the area from which safe water is to be transferred?‘ The answer to the second question falls within the remit of the Environmental Protection Organisation: ‘What is the reason for the lack of transparency in publications regarding this river’s water pollution status?’, and the final question is addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: ‘Will it agree to the transfer of water from outside Iran’s borders, especially from a river for which it has concluded no agreements?’
It was this August that the Minister of Energy announced the transfer of water from the Aras River to Tabriz to supply drinking water. The Minister of Energy also introduced the allocation of this water to 2.5 million people in the cities of Jolfa, Hadishahr, Marand, Soofian, and the towns of Shabestar County as a priority project. Prior to that, on 9 April, when the 13th Government was still in charge of the country, the governor of East Azerbaijan had also referred to this project as a ‘strategic project’. This news has been repeatedly announced by the government, even though numerous reports and studies over the past few years have shown that the Khoda Afarin dam’s catchment area, Dasht-e Maghan, as well as 150 kilometres of the river’s length in Iran, are also declared contaminated with heavy and toxic metals such as lead and its compounds, arsenic, aluminium compounds, nickel, copper, iron, manganese, and 53 other pollutants. A matter which is also acknowledged by the government, and last year a joint working group was formed with Armenia (the country of origin of the pollutants) to address it.
Abbas Aliabadi, the Minister of Energy, says that water will be transferred to Tabriz from regions other than the polluted ones. However, in response to Payam-e Ma, Aliabadi does not disclose the exact location of the water transfer. However, while confirming the river’s pollution, he says: “The Aras River is a border river on which we have built two major structures: the Giz Galasi and the Khoda Afarin Dam. These two dams are ready for service, and we are planning to commission their power generation units to supply the region with drinking water.“ He continues: “At some point, one of the countries bordering the Aras introduces pollution into the river. We are in negotiations with this country to have the pollution eliminated. We cannot take action at the point where the pollution enters; instead, we must transfer drinking water from another, unpolluted area. As for the type and extent of the pollution, the Environmental Protection Organisation must determine that. But we know that this pollution is entering from one of the neighbouring countries. Technical negotiations are underway at our Environmental Protection Organisation. We are also speaking with the country in question. If water is to be drawn for the people, it must be from upstream of that point.“
We are pursuing a response from the government.
The Environmental Protection Organisation has not provided any answer to our repeated enquiries. The organisation has ignored telephone calls and has also cancelled interview arrangements regarding the newspaper’s written request for information on the latest pollution levels in this transboundary river. It appears that the Environmental Protection Organisation considers itself obliged to answer neither public opinion nor parliament nor public representatives. Somayeh Rafiee, head of the Parliament's Committee of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, says: “Regarding the pollution of the Aras River, the Environmental Protection Organisation and the Ministry of Energy are obliged to announce the details of the pollution. In fact, we are following up on this to ensure they conduct up-to-date monitoring and send us the new report. The main issue in connection with the Aras River pollution is that the reports from the Environmental Protection Organisation and from the Ministry of Energy conflict with each other, and that the organisation has not updated the reports. We have received a general report of the monitoring results. The reports exist, but their results differ drastically and are unacceptable.“ Somayeh Rafiee, representing Tehran in parliament, stressed on 12 October this year, at a meeting of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Energy with traders, manufacturers, investors, and associations of the Chambers of Commerce and of Cooperatives at the Iranian embassy in Armenia, that pollution of the Aras River is a very serious problem and that the Iranian ambassador to Armenia and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Energy must pursue this matter seriously. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also informed the daily newspaper Payam-e Ma that negotiations with Armenia are underway, and that the Ministry is resolutely pursuing the removal of pollutants from the transboundary Aras.
They only answered on nuclear contamination. Vali Esmaili, who represents the citizens of Garmeh in parliament, had asked the country’s former Foreign Minister, in December last year, about the pollution of the Aras River. Esmaili tells Payam-e Ma about his enquiry and its reasons: “The government only answered parliament about the nuclear contamination. Of course, our question was also about nuclear contamination. Our criteria were based on reports we had about the effluent from Armenia’s Metsamor power plant, which led to
*p3 an expert team investigating it. The government dismissed the issue of nuclear contamination, but the Foreign Minister was to undertake sufficient consultations and take adequate measures to ensure the effluent from this power plant does not enter again.“ Mahmoud Abbaszadeh Meshkini, MP for Meshgin City, had warned about the pollution of the Aras River in the parliamentary chamber last June. He tells Payam Ma about this warning: “My comments were based on two reports that had reached us regarding the pollution of the Aras River.“
Several years of pollution
It appears that some institutions focused on the pollution of the Aras River in recent years, but that it was not sufficiently highlighted in the media. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s former Foreign Minister who now serves as the President’s strategic adviser, confirmed this pollution in an interview with Payam-e Ma. According to him, the country faces two problems with this river: one is the reduction in inflow due to Turkey’s dam-building projects, while the other is the issue of pollution: “During my time as Foreign Minister, I coordinated with my Azerbaijani counterparts, with Mr Aliyev himself and with Mr Shahin Mustafayev, who was both the head of the joint commission with Iran and played an important role in Azerbaijan’s development. It was agreed that, given the extensive relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey, we would speak to Turkey jointly about this issue. This initiative did not come to fruition during our government’s term, and I am not aware of what the 13th Government has done in this regard.“
Zarif explains further: “The second issue was the pollution of the Aras, whose main source is Armenia. We have repeatedly pursued this matter with Armenia. Ultimately, during our time it was agreed to establish several committees, one of which was a committee of nuclear experts - given that some of the contamination came from the Armenian nuclear power plant, which, in addition to the Aras, posed other risks - so that the specialists from our Energy Organisation could cooperate with Armenia to eliminate the contamination, which, given the importance of this issue, will likely be formed again in the thirteenth Government. Unfortunately, the Armenian government, despite the commitments it made to us, is unable to exert influence over the companies that are causing this pollution, as they are foreign-owned and the Armenian government is unable to handle the situation.“
Masoumeh Ebtekar, who headed the Environmental Protection Organisation during the Seventh, Eighth and Eleventh Governments, also speaks of reports of pollution in the Aras during her tenure. According to Ebtekar, this important transboundary river has, over many years and as a result of changes in the region, become polluted while its flow has also decreased: “As the water from this river is used both for agriculture and drinking water, this becomes a very important issue. From the middle of the Eighth Government, there were reports of the river being polluted with heavy metals, which was mainly caused by mining activities in Armenia. After that, issues such as power station activity also arose, whose pollutants enter the Aras River.“
She continues: “I think I also saw a report indicating that during the Tenth Government’s term, meetings on this matter were held and they were following up with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the Eleventh Government, when the Prime Minister of Armenia travelled to Iran, given the many promises and assurances from the Armenian government to address these pollution issues, I spoke at that meeting and urged that the matter be dealt with and that an agreement be reached on the spot. After that, we also made a proposal to Armenia, and one of our country’s mining units even declared its readiness to help resolve this problem. In the case of the Armenian mines, there was an issue of a leak from the tailings dam, but we did not see any serious follow-up or action from the Armenian side. Water diplomacy is often influenced by political processes. We have international regulations in this area, but they are not particularly strong, nor is there adherence to them.“ Tracing the Sources of Pollutants Numerous government and academic documents and sources trace the Aras River’s pollution back nearly two decades. These documents and studies state that the sources polluting the Aras have continuously contaminated this transboundary river for at least the past 15 years. Moreover, there are substantial reports indicating that the ongoing influx of pollution into the river has also led to the deposition of heavy metals in the vegetation, the sediments and the muscles of its fish: “The continuous influx of heavy metals into the water has not only poisoned it but has also contaminated and poisoned aquatic life, the sediments, and the riparian vegetation, such as the reeds. According to studies, the main elements contaminating the water are aluminium, arsenic, copper, manganese, molybdenum, lead and vanadium, which are primarily sourced from Armenia’s power stations and mines. Last year it was announced that a working group had been formed to examine the problems of the Aras River among the countries in its basin, but the government never officially acknowledged its pollution.“
Also, an informed source familiar with the latest studies by the National Soil and Water Research Centre on the Aras River told Payam-e Ma about this study, which was conducted in 2023: “Over the past few days, this issue has also been discussed within the government. The Soil and Water Research Centre does not have the radioactive measurement equipment required to provide an opinion on the samples taken from the Aras River in this regard. At present, the established issue is heavy metal contamination. We are certain of the accumulation and pollution of heavy metals such as copper, aluminium, arsenic and several others. This has been studied in detail. Some of the samples were taken downstream of Nurdouz, and some upstream, before Nurdouz, where Armenia discharges its effluent. The tests were conducted on water, soil and vegetation. The analyses performed and the results obtained confirm heavy metal contamination. Recently, the representative and secretary of the Agriculture and Environment Commission announced that there is pollution there.“
A confidential analysis According to the aforementioned informed source: “In the discussion of water transfer, the fact is that there are fundamental problems there. Last year in Tabriz we encountered water shortages and the Nahand Dam ran dry. They came and drilled several wells in various parts of Tabriz to supply water. Those wells contained arsenic, which caused quite a stir. The Ministry of Energy has suggested we dilute the water with arsenic-free water to lower the arsenic concentration. These issues are prevalent in many of these regions and there is no concealing them.“ Another informed source from the University of Tabriz also tells Payam-e Ma that no water samples from the Aras River are tested in the province’s accredited laboratories, nor are the results made available for academic studies. This informed source, a water expert, says that the samples delivered to the laboratory […], despite the visible turbidity and particles in the water, did not obtain an accurate result, while the sole response communicated was that the water was free of contamination: “You cannot possibly make such a claim when it comes to testing river water. The same thing happens immediately with every sample that arrives at the laboratory bearing ‘Aras’ as its source. In other words, the water analysis results are not published, as if they were a classified document, and in practice, not even academics will have access to them.“
Confirming Studies
A vital issue in connection with the pollution of the Aras River is its persistence, as it appears to have contaminated the entire ecosystem. In 2022, the National Artemia Research Centre, together with the National Fisheries Sciences Research Institute and the Urmia Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organisation, published a report which was also released that same year in Ecology of Water Resources, a promotional journal. The report emphasises that the continuous and ongoing monitoring of the water quality of the Aras Dam and River, in terms of physical, chemical, and biological variables, should be prioritised in the programmes of research centres and relevant organisations.
This report states: “In 2020, the Environmental Protection Organisation investigated the environmental damage caused by water pollution in the Aras River. They identified and determined 59 metals in the water and 61 metals in the river sediments from the stretch between Janan Lu village and Nurdouz. The identified metals correspond to those leached from the Agarak copper and molybdenum mine in Armenia. The aluminium concentration exceeds both the hygiene and environmental limits as well as the national standard. The manganese concentration is also above Iranian standards. A significant point is the high level of lead in the river water, which may pose risks for drinking water and fisheries. Furthermore, a clear increase in concentration has been observed for metals such as aluminium, arsenic, boron, copper, molybdenum, lead, and sulphur. This study also found an increase in vanadium (a maximum of 59 micrograms per litre). This metal is accumulative and could have biological effects on the flora and fauna of the river and on the Aras Dam, which merits further investigation.“ Armenia's footprint repeatedly confirmed
The report finally states: “Armenia has copper and molybdenum mines near the Aras River, the effluent from which it channels into the Aras. Armenia’s pollution of the river is of the heavy-metal type, namely due to copper and molybdenum, and since heavy metals are cumulative and do not disappear, they accumulate in the soil and consequently in plants and living organisms, and are ultimately transferred to the human body. In view of this, there is an urgent need to resolve, as swiftly as possible, the Aras pollution problem caused by the neighbouring country.“
Earlier, in another study jointly conducted in 2017 by the National Institute of Fisheries Sciences Research, the Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organisation in Tehran, the Caspian Sea Ecology Research Centre, the East Azerbaijan Department of Environmental Protection and two other organisations, and published that same year as a scientific paper in the Journal of Marine Science and Technology, it was noted: “In 31 per cent of the analysed data, on average, the concentration of the element copper in the water during the various seasons is approximately 1.5 times the standard. The increase in this metal’s concentration in spring, at the measuring station 25 kilometres from the town of Nurdouz, was due to the river overflowing and the discharge of industrial effluent at the time of sampling.“ Regarding the element arsenic, the study states: “The results also showed that the average arsenic concentration in the water exceeded various drinking-water and well standards and was several times the baseline concentration of clean rivers. The results of the present study indicate that the average arsenic concentration is approximately six times the standards, indicating the river’s contamination with this element.“ According to this study, based on sediment sampling, the mean arsenic concentration, and 100 per cent of the total data obtained from the surface sediments, exceeded the minimum permissible limits of the United States, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands: arsenic has a moderate potential for sediment adsorption and, as the results showed, the median arsenic concentration was twice the reference concentration. This report notes that copper has a high potential for sorption to sediments: ‘The mean concentration of copper in this study is 3.2 times the reference concentration. Moreover, copper concentrations have shown an increasing trend, which likely indicates a greater influx of these elements from the region’s industrial effluents (the Armenian copper mine).’ Hazardous elements in fish The authors of the aforementioned study, a year earlier —namely in 2016 — carried out another investigation to determine the levels of certain metallic elements in the fish of the Aras River, the results of which were published around two years later, in 2018, in the country’s scientific fisheries journal. This research emphasises the contamination of fish with molybdenum: “Given the water pollution and the increased concentration of molybdenum in the tissue of these fish, its gradual replacement in their organisms’ metabolism will eventually have adverse effects on them.“ This report states further: “If the copper to molybdenum ratio falls below two, molybdenum toxicity begins in organisms. The results of the present study showed that 87 per cent of the samples in the tissue of fish from the Aras River had a ratio of less than two, which suggests that the toxicity of this metal has also begun in the tissue of the fish from the Aras River.“ In the same year, another article was published in the National Veterinary Journal, entitled ‘A Study of the Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals Copper, Cadmium and Arsenic in the Sediment and Aquatic Life of the Khoda Afarin Dam.’ This article states that heavy metals, due to their toxicity, stability and lack of biodegradability, are one of the main and most dangerous groups of pollutants. The metals of greatest concern are cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, zinc, mercury and lead: “At present, pollution entering from the countries situated in the Aras River basin is one of the most significant challenges facing the river. The majority of heavy metal pollution in the Aras River stems from exploration, extraction, and metal smelting industries within the basin in Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. The Aras River basin is situated within the Copper Belt, which has led to mining activities in the region and the introduction of pollutants, including the heavy metals copper, cadmium and arsenic, into the Aras River and subsequently into the Khoda-Afarin Dam.“ This report states further: “The concentrations of cadmium and copper in the sediment exceed the Canadian standard. The average arsenic concentration in soils worldwide has been reported as 6.83 micrograms per gram. The measured arsenic levels also exceed the global standard. The Khoda-Afarin Dam lies within the copper belt and other mineral metal deposits, and according to research, chromium, copper and nickel are inherently present in the soil of this area. Moreover, pollution entering via the Aras River has exacerbated the contamination in that region. Also, the concentration of metals in the reed plants exceeds the permissible limit. Furthermore, the cadmium concentration in this plant has also been found to be above the permissible limit.“
However, the most important part of this report concerns the examination of the average concentrations of copper, cadmium and arsenic in fish tissue: “The concentrations of arsenic and cadmium in all the fish species examined (siamese carp, carp, pike, blackfish, eel and yellow perch) exceed the permissible limits set by FAO and WHO standards.“ These reports date back to the early 1990s and, together, confirm contamination of the Aras River’s vegetation, sediment and aquatic life.
What is a heavy metal and why is its pollution important? A heavy metal is an element whose atomic mass is greater than that of iron, or whose density is greater than five grams per cubic centimetre. Biologically, ‘heavy metal’ refers to elements that are toxic. Naturally, and in low concentrations, trace elements are present in soil and plants. Some heavy metals are found naturally and are essential for human health. The rare elements referred to as environmental pollutants are those whose concentrations above their threshold levels pose a long-term threat to the health of humans, animals, plants, and aquatic organisms.
Heavy metals are beneficial to the body at low concentrations, but at high concentrations they can exhibit toxic properties. These elements enter the food chain and cause contamination in humans. Lead, cadmium and mercury in the body are harmful to human health. These elements have a long half-life and living cells tend to store them. The kidneys are the most important organs for absorbing heavy metals. They act like a filter, absorbing toxic substances from the blood. They are composed of units called nephrons. Therefore, substances that are toxic to the nephrons and kidneys are called nephrotoxins; these include cadmium, lead, and mercury. It can be said that almost all heavy metals in the body cause adverse effects, which can include the disruption of the nervous system, the induction of genetic mutations, and effects on the glands.
It is vital to point out that it is impossible to break these elements down by biological treatment methods, and the most that can be done with them is to alter their form and capacity.
One of these highly dangerous elements is arsenic. Arsenic is toxic, and its average concentration in uncontaminated soils is considered to be between 5 and 10 micrograms per gram. However, one-tenth of a gram of arsenic trioxide can be fatal to humans, and arsenic in the environment can cause skin cancer, as well as many cancers of internal organs, such as the bladder, lungs or kidneys. The toxicity of arsenic depends on its chemical form, or, in other words, on its oxidation state and its organic compounds. Although arsenic enters the human body in much greater quantities through food than through drinking water, given that arsenic contained in food is organic, arsenic-contaminated drinking water poses more serious and severe risks to humans. Studies show that the percentage of patients with poisoning and cancer living in the affected areas is higher than in regions further away. However, at the country’s medical centres, there are usually no precise, documented statistics on this issue.
Sources directly used in the text of the report: - Pollution of the Aras River and Aras Dam, human activities or climate change / National Artemia Research Centre, National Fisheries Sciences Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Urmia; 2022.
- Investigation and determination of metal concentrations (As, Hg, Cu, Mo) in the water and sediment of the Aras River within East Azerbaijan Province / National Institute of Fisheries Sciences Research, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organisation, Tehran; Caspian Sea Ecology Research Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organisation, Sari; East Azerbaijan Department of Environmental Protection; Institute for Planning, Agricultural Economics and Rural Development Research, Ministry of Agriculture; 2017.
- Investigation and determination of the levels of certain metallic elements in fish from the Aras River within East Azerbaijan Province / National Institute of Fisheries Sciences Research, Iranian Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organisation, Caspian Sea Ecology Research Centre; 2016. - Investigation of the bioaccumulation of heavy metals copper, cadmium and arsenic in the sediment and aquatic organisms of the Khoda-Afarin Dam / Maryam Zare Rashkouieh, Master’s Student, Department of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Natural Resources, Tehran University; Amir Hossein Hamidian, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Natural Resources, Tehran University; Hadi Pourbagher, Associate Professor, Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, Tehran University; Sohrab Ashrafi, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Natural Resources, Tehran University; 2021.
- Concentrations of arsenic in water, soil, sediments and plants at the confluence of the Aras and Pakhiz Chay rivers / Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Biology; 2011. - Investigation of the role of the mineral areas north of Meshgin Shahr on soil contamination with arsenic, 10th Congress of Soil Sciences of Iran.
- Review of the effects of lead, cadmium and mercury in water sources on human health / Seventh National Conference and Special Exhibition on Environmental Engineering. [Translator’s note: no year specified.] - Examination of the relationship between the concentration of heavy metals in drinking water and cancer / Cancer Care Journal, Research Centre for Environmental Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Health, Yazd University of Medical Sciences; Autumn 2023.
- International Agency for Cancer Research / Classification of elements by carcinogenic potential. [Translator’s note: no year specified.]
• Geochemical investigation and distribution of the heavy metals copper, zinc, lead and nickel in the Aras River Free Trade and Industrial Zone / Department of Water Science and Engineering, University of Tabriz; Department of Environmental Studies, University of Tabriz; 2017.
• Interviews with informed sources; 2023 and 2024.
• Interviews with residents and riverbank dwellers of the Aras River in neighbouring provinces; 2023 and 2024.
• Review of 50 written documents from governmental and academic studies as supporting sources; 2007 to 2024.
Note: This is the second report on the pollution of the Aras River in the daily newspaper Payam-e Ma, written by Setarah Hojati. The previous report was also published on 18 June 2023 and is accessible via the link below:
https://payamema.ir/payam/articlerelation/86720