Azerbaijan, Baku, July 24/ Trend, T.Jafarov /
Today the situation is very tense in Lake Urmia, because it is experiencing an environmental tragedy, Iranian FARS news agency quotes Deputy Head of Iranian Environmental Protection Department, Asghar Mohammedi Fazil as saying on Monday.
"If the situation does not change, disasters that may occur in the future, along with the violation of economic and social order, will create problems also in the security sphere," Fazil said.
The area of Lake Urmia is about 6000 square kilometres. During bird migration the lake becomes their temporary haven. Due to prolonged drought what happens in the Urmia shallows, affects the flora and fauna of the surrounding region. Environmental specialists noted that measures taken by the Iranian government are not enough to rescue the lake.
Illegal use of water flowing into the lake for watering by rural population, construction of dams and illegal objects on its banks, is also among the problems of the Lake Urmia.
According to Fazil, it is a national issue and the problems of the lake should be addressed as soon as possible. "If we fail to do that, in the future we will face serious problems," he added.
During the visit to Tabriz in 2010, Iran's president and government officials approved the project to direct 600 million cubic meters of water from Araz River to the desert near Tabriz.
Currently, each litre of water in Lake Urmia contains 330 grams of salt. Previously, the figure stood at 160-170 grams per litre. Increase in the salt concentration is due to the fact that one-third of the lake dried up and actually turned into salt marshes.