Photo : Gando conservation area
Province:
Sistan and BaluchistanKeywords:
Gando crocodile Bahu Kalat Bahookat lat Bahoukalat river sistan and balouchestan Iran temsahAdditional Information:
Description:
The nature of Bahu is among the most distinguished in Iran, and the Bahu Kalat River is at its center. This is the habitat for the Iranian mugger crocodile or (gando)-- a rare species that survives in this and three other nearby river basins in the extreme southeastern area of Iran, above the port of Chabahar. Along the river, this region has fertile land for agricultural purposes, but it is dependent on seasonal rains and vulnerable to drought. Sustained droughts dry up the river completely, and only the moist soil and small pools left by seasonal rains keep the nature alive. In the 1990s, the Iranian government projected a dam in the northern end of Bahu (Pishin) to reserve water for agricultural and human consumption, lands which close to the dam are cultivated with a variety of agricultural products, specially watermelons that are being exported to internal and external markets. Southern end of Bahu district is the gwatar harbor, which is located in a strategic location, and for several years was under the control of colonialists, especially Portuguese. Nowadays remains of colonial castles are in place. Aquaculture is the main economic potential of south Bahu, in that saltwater shrimp can be cultivated two times in one season.
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