Common methods will not help the revival of Urmia Lake and more compatible strategies well suited to the current climatic conditions of the region are needed to meet the objective, a deputy at Urmia Lake Research Institute said.
Speaking to ISNA, Naser A’aq, who also heads the research institute for Artemia and aquaculture, said with the severe water crisis gripping the country, one should not expect the lake to be restored at large dimensions with enormous volumes of water.
“It is not logical to expect Urmia to return to its original state or even to the level of 1,274 meters given the lack of water and precipitation,” he said. He noted that all chances for the lake’s full restoration have been lost due to irreversible alternations at its bed. According to A’aq, the target size has to be around 2,800 square kilometers smaller than its original area.
Phased Approach
“There is no solution but to revive the lake to half of its initial size in two successive phases,” he said, adding that phasing the operations is the only and the most viable method to achieve the desired outcome. The first phase, he explained, should involve restoration of the southern area to the average depth of two meters over two years and the northern part could be restored in the next phase only to the extent that would prevent it from becoming a hotbed for salt particle storms.
“Reviving the northern part would take around seven or eight years since it is saturated with salt, but the salinity and the thickness of salt layers is less in the southern part which would allow easier and faster implementation of restorative measures,” he said.
He also suggested that a greenbelt be created in the remaining area around the lake using endemic vegetation.
Once repaired, the salinity in the waters will decrease providing living conditions for Artemia (brine shrimp) algae and birds.
Potential Source of Revenue
According to the expert, salt and Artemia can be sources of revenue and employment for locals and can help supply the costs of next restoration phases.
“This method will not only recover the natural ecosystem of a large area of the lake to its former state, but also generates jobs and an income of at least $100 million per year for the locals,” he said, adding that employment and revenue from the lake will motivate the public to care more for its conservation. Urmia Lake, which was once Iran’s largest inland body of water, has been facing serious drought for years. It was on the verge of total desiccation until the Urmia Lake Restoration Program was launched and managed to almost double its volume of water and stabilize its level.
A’aq also emphasized that the construction of a bridge over the lake cannot be held responsible for its desiccation.
“65 years ago, a similar bridge was built over the USA’s Great Salt Lake, Urmia’s sister, but it never met the same fate and is currently earning $1.5 billion of revenue for the local people,” he said.
He blamed the lack of sufficient inflow due to climate change, population growth and unsystematic development of agriculture, farming water-intensive crops and dam construction for the phenomenon.
