Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, August 13, 2020
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| Behzad Jiddi |
Economist and environmental expert Behzad Jiddi, in an interview with Voice of America, expressed that the threat of an ecological disaster around Lake Urmia has not been eliminated.
According to the expert, the slight improvement in the condition of the lake last year was due to higher-than-normal rainfall.
He also pointed out that the dams built on the rivers flowing into Lake Urmia, which are the main cause of the lake's desiccation, continue to operate.
The researcher, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in economics at the University of Iowa, said, “Since the Pahlavi era, dams have been built on the rivers that flow into Lake Urmia, preventing water from reaching the lake, which became the main reason for its desiccation.”
The expert stressed that the threat has not been eliminated, stating, “The Iranian authorities are not solving the Lake Urmia issue; they are just trying to buy time by deceiving the public. The paths the Islamic government has proposed are not practical.”
Since 2010, mass protests have been held in various regions of Iranian Azerbaijan, especially in Urmia, against the drying up of the lake. Dozens of citizens have been detained and sentenced to harsh prison terms.
Behzad Jiddi evaluates the protests related to Lake Urmia in Iranian Azerbaijan as exemplary international actions concerning environmental issues.
“When we look at it, protests against the drying of Lake Urmia are considered some of the largest actions in the world, not just in Iran or the Middle East. It was the first time that there was such a large number of people academically addressing an environmental issue in the region. Valuable research was conducted,” Jiddi said.
The expert added, “It’s true that our protesters were arrested, faced prison sentences, and torture. But the Islamic Republic of Iran was forced to address this issue. Also, many academic articles were written. These academic papers clearly show that the main reason for the drying of Lake Urmia is human intervention. Some papers even claim that if humans leave Lake Urmia to its own devices, i.e., open the dams and let the water flow naturally, the lake will find a way to continue its life within four to five years. This is because data shows that the impact of climate change has not been so significant that the lake’s water level would decrease by 90%. The change due to climate change would only cause the level to drop or rise by about 5%.”
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
“Urmiyə Gölü ətrafında ekoloji fəlakət təhlükəsi davam edir”