Iran's Biran Waterfall faces drought and illegal construction threats

Rijab in Iran's western Kermanshah province, home to one of the Middle East's tallest waterfalls, is under threat from environmental pressures and unregulated development. The area, which spans more than 120 square kilometers in the Zagros Mountains and includes the 150-meter-high Biran Waterfall fed by the Alvand River, has become a notable ecotourism site. Ali Fattahi, head of the River Engineering Office at the Kermanshah Regional Water Company, said local water sources are under strain from climate change. He told Mehr that snow-fed springs in the Dalahu mountains face a serious risk of reduced surface runoff in summer as precipitation shifts from snow to rain. Vahid Azizi of the region's General Directorate of Natural Resources said the 2017 earthquake triggered rockfalls at the entrance to Biran Waterfall, destroying roughly 50 meters of the access road and leaving it in need of repair. Officials also warned that illegal construction along riverbanks is narrowing water channels. Authorities have called for legal enforcement against unauthorized building and the adoption of a low-impact tourism model to protect the site.