Scenic Lake Urmia sees increase in water

The volume of water in Iran’s Lake Urmia has increased by a factor of five-fold within the last four years.

Lake Urmia in Iran’s West Azerbaijan Province has reached 2.5 billion cubic meters since 2013 with the implementation of practical governmental measures to revive the second largest saltwater body.

“With the implementation of practical measures to revive Iran's turquoise jewel, Lake Urmia, water volume has reached 2 billion and 500 million cubic meters," Governor of Iran's West Azerbaijan Province Ghorbanali Saadat underlined.

Administrative measures used to restore the lake include dredging of 290 km of canals and 60 km of rivers feeding the lake, halting illegal wells, and care measures for sand dune fixation at the edge of the Lake, among other measures, Saadat noted.

Another move included building a 35 km tunnel from the village of Kani Sib to the lake. It helps facilitate the transport of an annual 640 million cubic meters of water to the world's second largest saline lake.

Lake Urmia is located in northwestern Iran and was once the largest lake in the Middle East. It was some 6,000 sq km in area and served as a major tourist attraction and home to migratory birds.

Since its crisis, the government has taken measures trying to facilitate international cooperation to restore the lake to its former glory. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has also appointed a task force to save the popular tourist lake.

AI/AI