Two thirds of Lake Urmia dries up

The lake average depth dropped to 2 from 14 meters

Real Jafarli – APA. The average depth of the lake dropped to 2 from 14 meters, said head of Research Group of Desertification Components Mohammad Darvhish, APA reports quoting Oyannews.

According to him, two thirds of Lake Urmia has turned into saline land: “The area of the lake, when it was full of water, was 540,000 ha, but its area decreased by 360-390 000 ha because of the lack of water supply. For this reason, we can they that two thirds of Lake Urmia has dried up.” 

Darvish said that Binab, Maragha and Ajab Shir cities can be subjected to salt winds due to winds blowing from the east to the west: “These salt winds will damage sown areas, at the same time cane pose a threat to the health of local residents.” 

Head of the Iranian Agriculture Ministry's Department on the Eastern Azerbaijan Province, Masoud Mohhamadian said that water of the wells close to Lake Urmia is salty: “If this situation deteriorates, 204-ha planted areas of 7 towns of the Eastern Azerbaijan province near Lake Urmia can turn into saline soil.”

Drought of Lake Urmia creates 4,400 sq.km desert land

The probable drought of Lake Urmia in northwest of Iran will create a desert land, measuring 4,400 square kilometers in area, the Fars News agency quoted West Azerbaijan Province's Agriculture Department Director Masoud Mohammadian as saying.

The desertification will change the region's climate and will devastate farmlands, he added.

The head of the Iranian West Azerbaijan Province's Environment Organization said 70 percent of the Urmia (Orumiyeh) Lake has been drought up.

According to ISNA, Hassan Abbasnejad said the Iranian government started some measures to revive Lake Urmia by cloud seeding, commissioning the new irrigation methods, etc. in last solar year (ended on 18 March 2011) but the process is being carried out slowly.

"The main problem is lack of finance, then now, 300, 000 hectares of lake became salt land," he added.

Abbaszadeh said that Lake Urmia needs 3.1 billion cubic meters of water per year to survive.

Illegal use of water flowing into the lake for watering by rural population, construction of dams and illegal objects on its banks, is also among the problems of the Lake Urmia.

Each litre of water in Lake Urmia contains 330 grams of salt. Previously, the figure stood at 160-170 grams per litre.

The Iranian government approved $900 million finance bill to save the lake from drought, but the process is being carried out slowly.

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Official: 70 percent of Urmia Lake drought op

The head of the Iranian West Azerbaijan Province's Environment Organization said 70 percent of the Urmia (Orumiyeh) Lake has been drought up.
According to ISNA, Hassan Abbasnejad said Iran government started some measures to revive Urmia Lake by cloud seeding, commissioning the new irrigation methods, etc. in last solar year (ended on 18 March 2011) but the process is being carried out slowly.
"The main problem is lack of finance, then now, 300, 000 hectares of lake became salt land," he added.
Abbaszadeh said that Urmia Lake needs 3.1 billion cubic meters of water per year to survive.
Illegal use of water flowing into the lake for watering by rural population, construction of dams and illegal objects on its banks, is also among the problems of the Lake Urmia.
Each litre of water in Lake Urmia contains 330 grams of salt. Previously, the figure stood at 160-170 grams per litre.
Iranian government approved $900 million finance bill to rescue lake from drought, but the process is being carried out slowly.
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Urmia is located in the west of the South Azerbaijan(Iran). There is a permanent salt lake, Lake Urmia adjacent to the city. The population of Urmia is predominantly Turks (over 90%), but with Kurdish, Assyrian and Armenian minorities.

10 new Arch dams to be constructed in the watershed of Urmia Lake

Iran, West Azerbaijan: With the starting of operation of the new dams in the province 1.8 billon meters cubed Water sources will add to our water saves said Seyyed Jala Torabi the local officer to Islamic republic news agency (IRNA).
Torabi also told IRNA that new 10 dams that are constructing have the capacity to save 2.39 billion meter cubed per year. He also mentioned that they have started to study to build another four dams with the capacity of 233 million meter cubed per year.
Torabi mentioned the West Azerbaijan province has the capacity of 10 billion meter cubed water per year that 7.5 of it are surface waters and rest are from underground streams. 3.5 billion meter cubed of this water currently is consuming that 1.7 billion meter cubed of it is from underground resources.
Building another 10 barrages in watershed of Lake Urmia in west Azerbaijan province happens while 63% of the lake already dried up and despite what government officials promised to stop building dams and there is no serious action to prevent this environmental disaster. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the Iranian president said that he sends an emergency order to stop building new dams but they are still just on the papers and not in the action.  
Global environment and local expert’s emphasis that main reason of the drying up of the lake is the construction many dams without scientific background and increased water diversion for irrigated agriculture within the lake's watershed. They put the blame on wrong environmental policies and mismanagement.
According to the reports of the United Nations environment program (UNEP) the lake has been facing gradually decrease in the level of the water in last 15 years but the government officers try to deny it and even they claim that the water level has been increased.

State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2012 - Case study: Between a lake and a river: government neglect in Iran

Azerbaijanian Turkish, Lake Urmia
Azerbaijanian Turkish in Iran have joined together to protest against dam construction on Lake Urmia's tributaries that is destroying the region's ecological and economic resources.
Lake Urmia, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, is situated between the East and West Azerbaijan provinces and is one of the largest salt lakes in the world. But over the past 15 years it has shrunk by 60 per cent due to the construction of 36 dams on the lake's tributaries, prolonged drought, and the construction of a major highway bisecting the lake to connect the cities of Urmia and Tabriz. The region now faces a growing ecological disaster, with serious negative consequences on Azerbaijanian Turkish communities whose livelihoods depend upon the lake.
In April 2011, Azerbaijanian Turkish gathered to protest in Urmia and Tabriz, calling on the government to save the lake. According to Amnesty International, 70 people were arrested in Tabriz and 20 in Urmia for protesting illegally. During the summer, Azerbaijanian Turkish activists escalated their protests after the Iranian government dropped plans aimed at reviving the lake. On 24 August, 30 Azerbaijanian Turkish were arrested at a private gathering, and on 27 August, thousands of protesters in Urmia clashed with riot police, resulting in 300 arrests, according to HRW. Police shot tear gas at protesters and beat them with batons. At another environmental rally in early September, security forces resorted yet again to violence and arrested 60 people.
As the lake recedes, its salt content is gradually dispersed into the local environment, causing increased soil salinity in surrounding farmland. Experts estimate that if the lake dries up completely, the surrounding cities will be covered by layers of salt, eventually displacing up to 1.3 million people. The lake also plays an important role regulating regional weather systems, and its disappearance will lead to damaging shifts to seasonal weather patterns.
Thousands of Azerbaijanian Turkish in the cities of Tabriz and Urmia depend on the lake for their livelihoods, especially for ecotourism, irrigation and salt production. The shrinking of the lake has already affected tourism and regional investment has dropped significantly. Proposals made by the Iranian government to save the lake have been dismissed by activists and experts as short-term measures. For example, rather than launching a cloud-seeding programme to increase rainfall and supply the lake with remote sources of water as the government proposes, activists argue that releasing the water held behind dams would be far more effective in the long run. But for years, the Iranian government has chosen to ignore the problem and shirk responsibility, instead blaming global warming.
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