Lake Urmia is becoming salinated and dying

Today the situation at Lake Urmia is very tense; it is experiencing an environmental tragedy. The deputy head of the Department on Environmental Preservation of Iran, Asgar Mohammedi Fazil, made a statement to this effect, Trend cites the Iranian information agency FARS. “If the situation doesn’t change, disasters which might appear in the future will pose problems in the security sphere,” Fazil said.

The area of Lake Urmia is about 6 thousand sq. km. Due to long-term drought conditions the lake has become shallower, and this influences the flora and fauna of the region. Environmental experts note that the Iranian government is not taking sufficient steps to secure the lake.

Another problem of the lake is illegal use of its water by villagers, construction of dams and illegal facilities on its shores.

According to Fazil, it is a national issue and the problems of Lake Urmia should be settled as soon as possible.