President Rouhani Issues Decree to Save Lake Oroumiyeh
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday issued a decree on the start of an environmental operation to save the drying Lake Oroumiyeh in northwest of the country, which has lost quite a large surface in recent years.
The president also assigned members of “save Lake Oroumiyeh task force” the job of conducting supplementary studies to accelerate implementation of the plan to save the shrinking lake.
“The administration is prepared to cover whatever costs necessary to resuscitate the lake,” Rouhani pointed out.
As Lake Oroumiyeh is shrinking and deserts of salt expanding, Iranian officials are trying to find ways to avert an imminent disaster and to stop the salt lake from drying up.
In April, the Iranian government announced a three-prong effort to save the lake: a cloud-seeding program to increase rainfall in the area, a lowering of water consumption by irrigation systems, and supplying the lake with remote sources of water.
One of the largest salt lakes in the world and classified as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, Lake Oroumiyeh has lost more than 60 percent of its surface over the last two decades due to drought and the damming of rivers feeding it.
The disappearance of the lake could leave behind billions of tons of salt which in turn displace millions of people and endanger the ecosystem of all surrounding areas, whose economy relies on agriculture and tourism.
