Radio Zamaneh - January 11, 2022
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| A key way of restoring the lake is shifting away from the water-intensive agriculture that drained the lake in the first place (Credit: Solmaz Daryani - BBC) |
The head of the Planning and Integration Office of the Urmia Lake Restoration Program says that if the Ministry of Energy does not allocate water rights for Lake Urmia, the restoration efforts will not progress, and dust sources will form again. If these sources are not submerged, there is a possibility of salt storms around Lake Urmia, and people will be affected. The restoration of Lake Urmia continues to face challenges.
Masoud Tajrishi, the head of the Planning and Integration Office of the Urmia Lake Restoration Program, reported new issues in the restoration process. He stated:
"If the Ministry of Energy does not allocate the lake’s water rights like last year, we certainly cannot expect the lake to move towards restoration, and in 2027 and 2028, we will not reach the expected ecological level of the lake."
Tajrishi explained that the Ministry of Energy’s commitments are to meet the needs of drinking water first, followed by environmental needs and then agricultural needs. However, "the Ministry of Energy allocates 102% to drinking water, 92% to agriculture, and more than 300% to industry, but when it comes to the environment, it fulfills less than 35% of its commitments."
Lake Urmia began drying up in the mid-2000s. According to international statistics, by 2015, approximately 80% of its surface had dried up. Drought has only caused a 5% reduction in precipitation in the watershed area of the lake, while human factors such as ambitious economic-water development projects, dam constructions, and the building of a 15-kilometer-long highway over the lake with a small two-kilometer drainage outlet have led the lake to a crisis.
Masoud Tajrishi acknowledges that although financial problems exist in the restoration project, "management issues are the main problem, and government agencies should complete projects considering the current situation of the country."
Tajrishi pointed out the "water governance system in the country" and the failure of government agencies to meet their commitments as the main issue, stating:
"This is one of the reasons why the water that should have been released for Lake Urmia in February and March last year was unfortunately not provided."
The head of the Planning and Integration Office of the Urmia Lake Restoration Program added that the construction of a tunnel for the restoration of the lake was delayed for eight months, but now 99% of it has been completed, and two treatment plants are ready for inauguration. However, financial resources have not been injected, while the Planning and Budget Organization states that funds have been allocated to the relevant agencies.
In June 2020, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the then head of the Planning and Budget Organization, stated that the restoration of Lake Urmia, which began in 2014, would be completed that year.
Isa Kalantari, the then head of the Department of Environment, also announced at the same time that the water transfer tunnel to Lake Urmia would be completed in the next six months, and once operational, the lake’s water volume would reach 14.7 billion cubic meters over the next seven years.
He also added that the water transfer plan from the ZAB river, the Pasveh Dam, and the treatment plants in Urmia and Tabriz would be completed that year (2020), and about one billion cubic meters of water would permanently be transferred to Lake Urmia annually.
Masoud Tajrishi stated, "Even if these projects are implemented, if the lake’s water rights are not allocated under the excuse of low rainfall, we cannot expect a lake that has found itself to retain water."
He added:
"If we regulate the water with the dams we have built and do not release the lake’s share in February, March, and April, we can expect that, given that 60% of the lake’s share is below 60 centimeters, by the end of next summer, we will lose a significant portion of the lake’s surface, and certainly, losing this area will cause dust sources that were submerged to rise again."
Tajrishi emphasized that one of the key factors for the restoration of Lake Urmia is submerging these dust sources and said that if the lake’s water rights are not met, we can expect these problems to resurface.
Regarding the possibility of salt storms if Lake Urmia is not restored, he said that if the lake’s water level drops below 1271 meters, all the potential dust-producing sources will emerge again, and these dust storms will contain lead, mercury, and cadmium, which, if displaced, will cause significant damage, especially to children and the elderly.
If the lake dries up, the region’s temperate climate will turn into a tropical one with salty winds, altering the local ecosystem. Many pollutants, including heavy metals used in industry and toxic agricultural chemicals, have infiltrated both the surface and underground waters related to the lake, and if the lake dries up, in addition to salt, many toxic substances will become airborne, creating respiratory disease risks for both the ecosystem and the local population.
Yasser Rahbardin, the CEO of the West Azerbaijan Regional Water Company, stated in September last year that the water level of Lake Urmia had reached 1,270 meters and 69 centimeters, a decrease of 62 centimeters compared to the previous year. He also mentioned that the water volume of Lake Urmia had decreased by more than two billion cubic meters compared to the previous year.