Scientific studies have indicated that the transfer of water from the Caspian Sea and Turkey's Van Lake to Urmia Lake is not feasible due to differences in the chemical and biological qualities of the water bodies. The transfer schemes were proposed to help the troubled lake replenish as its sources of renewable water have decreased drastically.
According to Masoud Tajrishi, an official with the Urmia Lake Restoration Program, the lake used to receive 8.7 billion cubic meters of water 20 years ago but today, only 500 million cm flow into it due to the expansion of nearby farmlands from 300,000 hectares to over 500,000 ha over the years.
Bio-Chemical Considerations
"The case of the Caspian Sea was rejected as studies showed that the sulfated quality of the Caspian waters would reduce the lifespan of Urmia to 50 years," he said, DOE's news portal reported.
Waters of Turkey's Van Lake were proved to be capable of causing biological issues.
Tajrishi said that the construction of a tunnel which is supposed to carry water from Kani Sib River toward the Urmia is now in progress and "21.5 kilometers out of 35.7 km has so far been dug up."
Once completed, the tunnel will direct 650 million cubic meters of water annually toward the lake. It is due to be completed by March 2020.
Urmia was almost completely dried up when the ULRP was launched in 2014. Since that year, the level of the lake has increased from 1,270.32 (on July 24) to 1,270.58 (on the same date in 2018).
Its area has also increased from 1,790 square km to 2,093 sqkm and its volume of water has risen from 1.1 billion cm to 1.64 billion cm during the period, Tajrishi said.
