Lessons Learned from Flood Management in Iran

Iran has a longstanding challenge in supplying water during prolonged drought periods. This has drawn considerable attention towards the dam industry over the past four decades, leading to the study, construction and operation of several large dams. These dams played a critical role in controlling the massive floods of 2019 and 2020, among others. Nevertheless, due to the increased intensity and frequency of extreme events because of climate change, the downstream regions of these large storage dams still face significant damages. This is mainly attributed to the insufficient dredging of rivers and tributaries, lack of rule curve and operation guideline for some storage dams, inaccurate prediction of flood volume, violation of land-use and water management action plans, promotion of industries with high water need, and floodplain encroachment. In this study, we aim to evaluate the performance of several large dams in the Karkheh and Karoon river basin, located in southwestern Iran, in managing the floods took place in the aforementioned periods. We also discuss the challenges and the lessons learned, with suggestions for improving the flood management in the country

Determination of Florfenicol Residues in the Muscle and Liver of Cultured Rainbow Trout in Iran by ELISA

Florfenicol is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, widely used in veterinary medicine. The aim of this study was to determine florfenicol residues in the muscle and liver of cultured rainbow trout in Iran by ELISA. The samples were collected from three areas (Kiar, Ardal, and Koohrang), considered as areas with high production of trout in the western part of Iran. Sampling was completed during the spring and summer of 2011. All of the samples were categorized into three weight groups (below 50g, 50 to150g and over 150g) and five individuals were randomly selected from fish belonged to each weigh group, and then collected samples sent for determination of antibiotic residues. The highest and the lowest antibiotic residues were 31.42±53.52 ng g-1 (>150 g fish) and 10.35±2.33 ng g-1 (<50 g fish) for liver samples and 48.84±50.36 ng g-1 (50-150 g fish) and 18.20±15.41 ng g-1 (> 150 g fish) for muscle samples, respectively. In different areas, the highest antibiotic levels were found in Koohrang and Ardal with mean of 37.00±63.61 and 15.33±10.45 ng g-1 for liver samples and 40.74±40.80 and 28.24±45.91ng g-1 for muscle samples. The results indicated that florfenicol residues are lower than the maximum permissible level has been announced by the European Union