Water from four dams in West Azarbaijan Province has been released to shore up Lake Urmia, the provincial Regional Water Company’s deputy of protection and operation said.
“Based on the plan of Iran Water Resources Management Company to meet the environmental needs of the lake, the first phase of the project to divert the dams’ water toward the lake has begun and will continue until mid-April,” the Energy Ministry’s news portal Paven quoted Javad Mohammadi as saying.
Elaborating on the project, the official said 15 million cubic meters of water from Shahr-Chai Dam near Urmia City, 150 mcm from Shahid Kazemi Dam on Zarrineh River near Bukan City, 30 mcm from Mahabad Dam near Mahabad City and 4 mm from Derik Dam near Salmas City will be transferred to the lake.
Pointing to the strong flow of water pouring into the lake in the past one month, the official warned locals against getting close to the river.
“The level of Lake Urmia has reached 1,270.72 meters, which indicate a 62-cm decline compared to last year’s level when it was 1,271.34 meters,” he said.
“The area of the lake has reached 2,396 square kilometers, which shows a decline of more than 1,200 square km compared to last year. The lake’s water has declined by about 2 billion cubic meters compared to last year and reached 2.95 bcm.”
Lower rainfall in the past two years has reduced the level, area and water of Lake Urmia. As a result, water transfer projects have been planned to help increase the level of the lake in the coming months.
In case nothing is done to address the issue and the lake dries up, salt storms will seriously endanger the livelihood of more than six million people living in the surrounding area that covers a radius of 100 km.
Lake Urmia is a closed water body fed through 21 permanent and 39 seasonal rivers. Less than 20 years ago, the lake, located between East and West Azarbaijan provinces, was Iran’s largest inland body of water.
Once the second-largest saltwater lake in the Middle East, Lake Urmia attracted birds and bathers to enjoy its turquoise waters in northwest Iran. Then beginning in the 1970s, nearly three decades of drought and high water demand shriveled the basin by a shocking 80%.
It has depleted drastically due to a variety of factors, including the construction of a 15-km causeway to shorten the travel time between Urmia and Tabriz cities and the construction of several dams that have choked off water supply from the mountains on either side of the lake.
Restorative Measures
The revival of Lake Urmia, which is one of the most important ecosystems in the country and the region, remains on the government’s agenda and all efforts are focused on resolving the water shortage in the area.
Many restorative measures have been taken during the past decade to restore the lake to its former glory, such as cutting the use of its water by farmers and diverting water from rivers.
Improving water management, capping over 4,000 illegal wells and promoting sustainable farming over 6,000 hectares of farmland are among other measures taken to revive the lake whose condition has become a serious source of concern for the people, environmentalists, conservationists and economic experts.
Diverting treated wastewater to the lake is also another plan to help increase the lake’s water level.
One of the most important projects in this regard is the transfer of water from Kani Sib Dam on Zab River along the western borders to Lake Urmia. The tunnel excavation operation was completed recently and the project is expected to be launched soon.
According to plans, 600 million cubic meters of water will be pumped annually from the river to the dam and then transferred to the lake through the tunnel. It is estimated that the completion of the restoration projects will cost over $20 million.
