Tina Hadipoor
MOOC Student
A sustainable and fair future for our rivers relies on all of us working together, and the increasing pressure on the Gohar Rood and Zarjoob rivers in Gilan, Iran, over the past seven decades shows what happens when this cooperation is lacking. After the 1950s, Rasht, the capital and largest city of Gilan Province, grew rapidly, and urban expansion led to the construction of houses along the Zarjoob riverbanks, often without formal supervision (Hosseini et al., 2013; SHMI, 2023). Parts of the Zarjoob and Gohar Rood rivers have long been altered through development along their banks such as bank lining that disrupt their natural flow and ecological functions, including riparian vegetation and wildlife habitat along the river margins. As industries and households expanded in Rasht over several decades, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s (Hosseini et al., 2013), the rivers became the main drainage channels for household sewage, industrial, and even hospital waste. The Gohar Rood and Zarjoob rivers in Rasht have thus effectively turned into sewage channels. Meanwhile this contaminated and untreated water is used in agriculture, causing strong odors and further contamination of water and soil (Bagheri-Nia et al., 2016). Pollution levels rose to the point where the rivers could no longer support life.
With proper infrastructure, responsible institutions, and communities that are made and stay aware, and that take action, we can protect the river to ensure it can continue being both a natural resource and a shared heritage. By doing this our rivers can once again be clean, full of life, and an important part of daily life. Strengthening water infrastructure, ecological rehabilitation, and community partnership are tangible solutions to the problems of Gohar Rood and Zarjoob rivers.
The Gilan Regional Water Company (ABFA), both a stakeholder and a player in water-related management, facilities, and structures, has been attempting to tackle this challenge, but with little success. For years, World Heritage provided funds to ABFA to address the rivers’ problems, but mismanagement within ABFA resulted in inadequate action (Shahed-e Shomal, 2012; Moroor News, 2020). Although ABFA, after many years of inaction, has recently attempted to dredge the riverbed and reduce solid waste in the rivers, it has yet to address the core issue. (IRNA, 2025). The city still lacks a proper wastewater system, which remains the main source of ongoing pollution, and shows the urgent need for institutional action. At the same time, the people themselves are, in reality, the main stakeholders, as the two rivers flow through the city: Everyone living there experiences the impact of their contamination and smells their unpleasant odors. By electing responsive representatives and participating in community-led initiatives such as clean-up projects, residents can help initiate the change that institutions have struggled to launch.
The future of the Gohar Rood and Zarjoob rivers depends on immediate and coordinated action, with both communities and governmental bodies playing crucial roles. These rivers can significantly influence urban development, and public engagement can help encourage institutions such as ABFA to take responsibility and find solutions. Only through such combined efforts can the rivers be restored to health and continue to be used and relied on by the inhabitants of Rasht.
Rivers are sites of cultural and environmental heritage. Revitalizing them can boost ecology, education, recreation, and sustainable tourism. Festivals and water-centered urban design can make the river a visible, valued part of everyday life.
Acknowledgments
This blog post has been written in the context of discussions in the LDE PortCityFutures research community. It reflects the evolving thoughts of the authors and expresses the discussions between researchers on the socio-economic, spatial and cultural questions surrounding port city relationships. This blog was edited by the PortCityFutures editorial team: Nathan Döding and Eliane Schmid.
References
Bagheri-Nia, A., Dadfar, S., Babaei, M., & Moghsami, M. R. (2016). Investigation of the effects of urban development on pollution of urban rivers (case study: Zarjoob and Goharrud rivers, Rasht). Second National Conference on Sustainable Development in Energy, Water and Environmental Engineering Systems, Tehran, Iran. https://civilica.com/doc/627698
Hosseini, S. A., Visi, R., & Ahmadi, S. (2013). Analysis of spatial development trends and determination of optimal directions for the development of Rasht using a geographic information system. Human Geography Research, 45(2), 83–104. https://doi.org/10.22059/jhgr.2013.30425
Iranian News Agency (IRNA). (2025, October 18). More than 6 kilometers of the Zarjoob River in Rasht were cleared. IRNA. Link
Shahed-e Shomal. (2012, May 28). The World Bank loan case in Gilan closed. Internet Archive. Link
SHMI. (2023, October 24). A walk along the riverbanks and rivers that are no longer alive. Link
Moroor News Analytical Website. (2020, December 30). 50 cities in Gilan deprived of a modern wastewater network. Link