Alirza Quluncu - Rooz - June 13, 2010
 |
| A stark view of the shrinking Lake Urmia in West Azerbaijan, Iran, reflects the urgent environmental crisis facing the region. |
The article addresses the ongoing environmental crisis surrounding Lake Urmia in West Azerbaijan, Iran, noting the recent detention of a civil activist for protesting the government's inadequate response to the lake's alarming decline. Experts warn that the lake's drying threatens not only local ecosystems but also the broader region, necessitating urgent action to address the underlying causes of this environmental disaster.
“The Lake Urmia Crisis is Serious”
More than seventy days have passed since the detention of Hossein Nasiri during the protests on April 1 around Lake Urmia, and the family of this Azerbaijani civil activist reports being uninformed about the status of his case and the charges against him. According to ADAPP (the Association for the Defense of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran), after being arrested on April 1st (Farvardin 13), Hossein Nasiri was transferred to the intelligence department of the city of Osku and then to the Ministry of Intelligence detention center in Tabriz. His mother told Rooz news that she had only been able to meet her son twice during this entire time, with the first visit occurring about two months after his arrest. According to her, her son was transferred from the Ministry of Intelligence detention center to Tabriz Prison about ten days ago.
Hossein Nasiri had previously spent three months in the intelligence detention center and Tabriz Prison in Ordibehesht (May) 2007, where the third branch of the Revolutionary Court in Tabriz sentenced him to six months in prison on charges of acting against the regime and inviting people to gather.
For the Preservation of the Environment
The renewed arrest of Hossein Nasiri occurred after a significant number of Azerbaijanis gathered in various locations around Lake Urmia during the Sizdah Bedar festival this year. In a symbolic act, they protested the government’s environmental policies concerning Lake Urmia, where the water level has drastically decreased in recent years, by throwing water bottles into the lake and chanting slogans. During this gathering, the protesters also raised slogans related to the linguistic rights of Azerbaijani citizens. The protest was suppressed by riot police and security forces, who attacked the demonstrators with batons and tear gas. According to ADAP, nearly one hundred protesters were arrested along the routes leading to the causeway bridge over Lake Urmia in the cities of Ilkhchi, Shabestar, Salmas, Urmia, and Eskandari.
The Drying of Lake Urmia
Environmental experts warn that if Lake Urmia dries up, it will pose very serious and far-reaching risks, not only to Azerbaijan but also to many more distant regions.
Dr. Armin Eskandari, a researcher in the saline lakes and Artemia biology laboratory at Hacettepe University in Ankara, states that the environmental, climatic, social, and economic crises that will arise from the drying of Lake Urmia could force many residents to migrate from the region.
In an interview with Rooz, Dr. Eskandari says, “The unnatural drying of Lake Urmia will lead to an increase in the salt concentration of the lake, the formation of large salt crystals and powder, and given the windy nature of the Azerbaijan region, the residual salt will spread over several kilometers, making fertile agricultural lands uncultivable.”
Climate Change Crisis
According to Dr. Eskandari, Lake Urmia and the surrounding wetlands play a crucial role as climatic moderating factors, maintaining temperature balance and the region's climate: “The existence of this lake minimizes temperature fluctuations in the areas close to Lake Urmia. The drying of Lake Urmia means the loss of this temperature-controlling factor, resulting in extreme temperature changes, such as severe cold in winter and excessive heat in summer in the nearby cities and villages. These rapid climatic changes could force many residents to migrate from the region, creating vast uninhabited lands.”
He also adds, “One of the main air masses entering the regions around Lake Urmia originates from Siberia. This air mass, along with the winter cold, leads to snowfall and practically ensures the water supply for rivers. Now, if the temperature in Siberia rises due to global warming and the role of Lake Urmia in the region diminishes, it can be predicted that ecological conditions and all aspects of human life dependent on these specific conditions, as well as patterns of water consumption, agriculture, cultivation, forests, and pastures, will change.”
Impacts on the Natural Ecosystem
Dr. Armin Eskandari also highlights the danger of extinction of the only living organism in Lake Urmia, namely “Artemia urmiana.”
Artemia is a crucial and relatively widespread type of invertebrate that can live in brackish to saline waters, where salinity levels can be several times higher than that of seawater. Artemia urmiana is one of the seven known bisexual species of Artemia in the world. Its nutritional value is high and can completely meet the needs of freshwater aquatic animals.
Dr. Eskandari states, “Artemia can survive even in very harsh environmental conditions. The eggs of Artemia can remain dormant for many years without suitable conditions and will not perish. However, with the gradual drying of Lake Urmia, the greatest threat to Artemia urmiana is the loss of its food sources. The unicellular algae, bacteria, and other food sources for Artemia, which do not have the same resilience as Artemia, will disappear, and this can jeopardize the survival of Artemia urmiana. The migration of flamingos to this region will significantly decrease after the extinction of Artemia, which serves as the primary food source for these birds, leading not only to the destruction of an aquatic ecosystem but also to an irreparable blow to the food chain and natural ecosystem in the region.”
Recent Rains Won't Cure the Wound
According to the West Azerbaijan Regional Water Company, this year, rainfall in the watershed of Lake Urmia has increased by 49% compared to last year, leading to a relative rise in the water level of Lake Urmia.
However, the Mehr News Agency reported on June 1, 2010, quoting Reza Kahouli, head of the Shahid Fahmideh Elite Center in the west of the country, stating, “The recent rains do not alleviate the crisis of Lake Urmia.”
Reza Kahouli adds, “The amount of water needed to revive the lake is estimated to be about three meters, while the total rainfall has only been about 60 centimeters.” He believes there is a lack of necessary coordination among governmental organizations and institutions regarding the crisis of Lake Urmia.
According to the latest reports, the current water level of Lake Urmia is 2 meters and 60 centimeters below the ecological balance and 6 meters and 70 centimeters below its highest recorded level, indicating an environmental crisis, according to Dr. Armin Eskandari. And Hossein Nasiri had come to the shores of Lake Urmia to protest this situation; no solutions have been proposed for Lake Urmia yet, just as it remains unclear how long Hossein Nasiri's mother will have to wait for news of her son.
Link to the original text in Farsi: https://rooz.hilnu.com/persian/news/newsitem/article/-e5b65c6ec9/