Baku, Azerbaijan, June 15
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iranian energy minister, Hamid Chitchian said that the private sector will finance the project of transferring River Araz water to Urmia Lake.
The project will be offered to private sector via tender in the future, Chitchian said, Iran's Fars news agency reported on June 15.
Meanwhile, member of the Iranian parliament's presidium Alireza Monadi said in February that the contracting companies in this project have already been determined and investments for the implementation of the project will be provided by a German company.
Commenting on the taken measures to restore the drying lake Hamid Chitchaian said that halting dam construction projects and management of water in the dam reservoirs of the lake's catchment area as well as dredging the rivers flowing into the lake are among the taken steps to save the Urmia Lake.
Chitchian underlined that extending agricultural lands in the region which annually swallow 3 billion cubic meters of water sources is the main reason behind the drying of the lake.
Lake Urmia in north-western Iran is experiencing its worst drought in many years, where over 90 percent of its area has dried up. The level has been declining since 1995.
Officials have said if the current restoration efforts are not effective, the lake will be turned into a swamp within four years.