what is happening in Urmia lake? Is negotiation the best solution?

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This Lake is a salt lake lying in the northwestern Iran (My Country), Unfortunately, Its facing environmental crisis ans as the environmental experts It will be completely destroyed in the near future. According to official statistics, 70 percent of Lake Urmia is at risk, with the water containing so much salt that there are no fish in the lake and few plants and animals around its shores.

At present Iran is running negotiation with Azerbaijan in regard with the reservoir. Even if any arrangements are achieved, most probable water will be insufficient to solve the problem of the Urmia Lake. I request the experts from all over the world to help in saving the Urmia Lake and its unique ecosystem.

2 Answers

  1. Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Actually, One of the major issues in this lake is water allocation among three provinces.So, this has been a source for conflict since water availability in terms of quantity and quality may not match demand of all users. So, Water Allocation is one of vital importance.

  2. To save the lake from drying up and also conserve the eco system, the only way is to allow more water in to the lake. I think there must be progressive development of water resources up stream by constriction of dams and irrigation due to which the size of the lake must have come down. I am not sure what is the proble. I was involved in the conservation efforts in a small way in Aral sea whose size is just 10 % of what it was in the 1960 s. I was involved in capacity building programme of engineers of Central Asia by FAO during 2009 wherein we conducted a workshop and trained engineers in modernizing irrigation management. Bringing back the lake to its original glory is possible only by water conservation measures in the upstream projects thereby allowing more flows in to the lake. How that is to be achieved is a big challenge which requires involvement and commitment of all the stakeholders.