94 percent of the area of Lake Urmia has dried up, with the water capacity decreasing from 30 to 2 billion cubic meters.
Lake Urmia, the world’s second largest saltwater lake with a surface area of approximately 5,200 km², is now about to turn into salinity.
Apart from the decline in the amount of precipitation and snow water, environmental organizations considers the construction of 45 dams over the rivers, which flow into the lake, one of the main reasons that resulted in the drying of Lake Urmia. It is said that the Iranian government is developing a project to save the lake, with a budget worth $90 million already approved.
It’s also said that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had promised to save the Lake Urmia from drying up within 100 days before the election, but no profound measures have yet been taken in this regard.
APA