Low Rainfall Deprives Lake Urmia of Fair Water Share

The annual water share of the troubled Lake Urmia is 3.4 billion cubic meters, but since the beginning of the current water year (started Sept. 23, 2021), it has received less than 600 million cubic meters, the governor general of West Azarbaijan Province said.
“The lake receives the bulk of its water share from Salmas, Zola, Boukan, Agh-Chai, Shahre-Chai, Mahabad, Aras and Sarouq dams [all in West Azarbaijan Province], but the water level in dams has plunged due to low rainfall in the region and the lake is deprived of its fair water share,” Mohammad Sadeq Motamedian was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
The water level in Iran’s largest inland body of water has reached 1,270 meters, about 3 centimeters lower compared to 2022, and the lake now holds 2.9 bcm of water and 10 billion tons of salt, he added.
Unlike most countries where environmental protection is crucial, the Iranian Energy Ministry’s top priority is farmers and not the lake.