Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.3
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
The Iranian administration has approved to have $225 million allocated for the implementation of a plan to restore Lake Urmia, which is experiencing its worst drought in many years, Iran's Mehr news agency reported on November 3.
USD free market exchange rate in Iran is currently 32,000 rials.
The Ministry of Agriculture was tasked with establishing modern irrigation systems around Lake Urmia farmlands.
According to the plan, the Ministry of Energy should regulate the use of water through installing smart water meters at water wells.
Lake Urmia is in north-west of Iran. Over 70 percent of its water 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 several years. Previous reports said Lake Urmia needs 3.1 billion cubic meters of water per year to survive.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has established a working group to tackle the issue of saving the lake.