The Desert Jihad - Iran

March 1998
An evocative piece describing the front-line in Iran's war against desertification.

Nasser Nikpay shows us around an eerie, deserted village, half-buried in the sand. The village is famous for the '120-day' wind. Nasser works for the Jihad-e-Sazandegi Ministry -- which is at war with the ever-encroaching desert. Iranians irrigate their land using qanats, underground channels which carry water from the mountains. But the sand is harder to control. The land can only be cultivated if the shifting sand dunes can be anchored in Place. And the Iranians have come up with a very clever way of keeping the desert from drifting in the wind. It seems like horrific pollution, but petroleum mulch from oil refineries is sprayed with a big gun onto the errant sand. A month later trees are planted. The petroleum mulch prevents the sand moving and the water evaporating. After five years the mulch will be removed, by which time the desert has been miraculously fixed in Place and greenery abounds. Land has already gone to the farmers who need it most for reforestation and cultivation. Now pistachio trees and alfalfa can be grown. A garden blooms with an abundance of pink roses - a testament to the regeneration of the land. Man's ingenuity triumphs over nature and pollution.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Iran
• Jihad
• Desert
• war
• desertification
• Army
• Border
• control
• Journeyman
• Pictures
• news
• documentary
• current affairs
• journeyman
• journeyman pictures

[TheALPETER]

ZENDEH BAD IRANZAMIN VA IRANIAN i wish we had more guys like him working for our country

[Tabramos]

You fail to see the smarts of the basic farming techniques. You probably couldn't accomplish any of the above, your intelligence is less than primitive.

[Investor26]

جناب اقای ناصر نیک پی

در صورت امکان آدرس ا-میل و شماره تلفن خود را برای من ارسال کنید

با تشکر

فرامرز فرامرزی

Fred_Faramarzi@hotmail.com USA (323) 582 - 2222

[Investor26]

Dear Mr. Nasser Nikpay

This is Faramarz Faramarzi form USA Fred_Faramarzi@hotmail.com (323)582-2222

Please let me have your e-mail address and your phone number , i like to contact your urgently . Thanks

[MyTutorialFilms]

@TheHonestwords  have u been there ??

[TheHonestwords]

This is the usual landscape of iran. It is mostly desert. Only the north shore line of Iran by the Caspian sea is green and it is really green and beautiful, but the rest is either desert or low range arid mountains.

[bigsoundz]

It just goes to prove that "jihad" is a context dependent word -- Here the man is engaging in "Jihad" (a struggle) against damage from environmental damage.

[lokibau]

for fuck sake iran is a great country, why letting the world hating it just because that maniac of a dictator.

[Ozmit]

Bavaram nemishe be che rahati in jasoosaye englisi daran etela jam mikonan az keshvar ba komak az in ghor-Ann parasthaye KESAFATE jomoori ke vasseye khode engilisa kar mikonan.

In koskeshaye MOSALMOON bayad ba hamoon mavod forooshaye arabi EDAM BESHAN

[rosemacaskie]

@RacialEquality555 If north iran is green you can take videos of it and post them on you tube, i bet they have some interestign farming methods in Iran. That is the glory of internet, all of us can make information more fair and widely spread. Also this is a video of a great iranian so it does bring good fame to Iran, no one can blame people for having deserts, there are deserts in australia and california for instance. rose macaskie.

[rosemacaskie]

@vahishta09 you are talking of violent ways of treating people who are also very sever in their treatment of those they dont agree with. I know how sever catholics are here in spain can be so i know how violent people who think they are right can be.The real fight is to make people be more tolerant and those in the west, are terribly cruel toomaking people less cruel is my aim rather than to punish the intolerant. rose macaskie madrid.

[rosemacaskie]

What type of petrol do you use, how refined or how crude is the sort used as mulch? How do you prepare the ground for it or don't you? Have you seen the rainwater harvesting articles from the north of India from the Thar desert? I think you can find articles if you put into google -rainwater harvesting Thar desert-. In the north of india they have several ways of collecting and storing rain water instead of using underground water and they have lifted the water table. rose macaskie.