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| Women in Tabriz Hold Protest in Front of the Governor's Office |
Women in Tabriz, Iranian Azerbaijan, held a protest on August 14 in front of the East Azerbaijan Governor's Office, demanding the revival of Lake Urmia.
According to videos shared on social media, the female demonstrators gathered in front of the governor's office chanting slogans such as "Lake Urmia is thirsty."
The number of Turkish women protesting in front of the East Azerbaijan Governor's Office in protest of the dire situation of Lake Urmia is estimated to be in the dozens.
They carried posters with slogans including "Lake Urmia is dying," "Lake Urmia is thirsty," "Break the dams," and "Fill Lake Urmia."
Just two days earlier, women from the south also held a protest in Tabriz about the situation of Lake Urmia.
Environmental activists had previously staged their first protest two days earlier in front of the Department of Natural Resources and Water Basins of East Azerbaijan, demanding that the government take urgent action to prevent the drying up of Lake Urmia.
Environmental experts believe that Lake Urmia is currently in the worst condition it has been in the last 60 years, and there is a high likelihood that it will completely dry up by September.
Due to the high salt content in the bed of Lake Urmia, its drying up could lead to salt storms, which, according to experts, may cause an increase in respiratory diseases and render agricultural lands unfit for cultivation in the region.
Isa Kalantari, the former head of the country’s environmental protection organization, has repeatedly warned in interviews with local media that if Lake Urmia completely dries up, it could lead to the evacuation of Tabriz, putting the lives of 15 million people in the region at serious risk.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Təbrizdə qadınlar ikinci dəfə Urmiyə gölü üçün etiraz aksiyası keçiriblər