Photographer: Mojtaba Esmailzadeh - Radio Zamaneh - July 15, 2022
Lake Urmia was intended to reach its ecological balance within ten years under the restoration plans of the Urmia Lake Restoration Program (ULRP), initiated in 2015. However, the lake's condition has deteriorated instead, drawing closer to a critical state day by day.
According to the Mehr News Agency, Mirabbas Jafari, Director General of Crisis Management for West Azerbaijan Province, stated during a meeting of the Crisis Management and Passive Defense Coordination Council for water and electricity sector officials from northwestern Iranian provinces held at the Sarouq Dam in Takab:
"Drought, water evaporation, overexpansion of agriculture, and improper use of the lake's water for cultivating water-intensive crops are among the main causes of Lake Urmia's drying."
Lake Urmia, the largest permanent water body in Western Asia, is situated in the northwest of the Iranian Plateau. Its watershed spans 51,876 square kilometers, equivalent to more than 3% of Iran's total area.
The lake began drying up in the mid-2000s and is now at risk of complete desiccation.
Some environmental experts predict that if Lake Urmia dries up entirely, the region's temperate climate will transform into a tropical one with salt-laden winds, fundamentally altering the area's ecosystem.
Additionally, it has been forecasted that the potential complete drying of the lake could result in salt rain affecting many neighboring provinces, potentially displacing 13 million people.
Source: Radio Zamaneh