Iran plans to revive Lake Urmia through Armenian, Georgian water sources
Iran is planning to revive the northwestern Lake Urmia by pumping water from Armenia and Georgia.
The water will be brought from Armenia’s Lake Sevan and Georgia’s Kura River via three pumping stations in Iran, Iranian MP Ali Alilou told reporters in the northwestern city of Tabriz on Sunday.
Located between the provinces of East Azarbaijan and West Azarbaijan, the saltwater lake, one of the largest on the planet, is on the brink of a major environmental disaster due to its highly endangered ecosystem.
As the amount of water in the lake has decreased from 36 billion cubic meters to 2 billion cubic meters, Alilou noted that there is no point in using additional water from the nearby Zab and Aras rivers, running in Iran’s northwestern border regions.
Alilou explained that obtaining water from the Caspian Sea is not feasible either due to its distance from Urmia and the fact that it is too polluted for such a purpose.
As most of the project could be operated from inside Iran it will take about two years to complete, he reckoned, adding, water will be purchased and bartered from the two countries to top up the lake.
Based on the plan, the discharge of water into Iran will be 60 to 80 cubic meters per second, he added.
He said that the administration of President Hassan Rouhani has taken major steps towards revving the lake, which, if not kept in check, would pose "serious threats against five provinces" in Iran.
Many blame climate change and dam construction to be behind the environmental issue.
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