Tehran – The current level of the urban lake is 1270.27 meters, 23 cm higher than the lowest ever recorded.
Lake Urmia in northwestern Azarbaijan began to deplete in the 2000s. The lake is the largest in West Asia and the sixth largest salt lake in the world, with a water surface area of 5,000-6,000 square kilometers.
The area of Lake Urmia was reduced due to reduced precipitation, reaching 1,130 square kilometers. The amount of the lake has also decreased to 1.6 billion cubic meters, the IRNA quotes Majid Rastgari, a member of the Water Company in West Azarbaijan.
Currently, the total water volume of the 14 dams is about 800 million cubic meters, equivalent to 44% of the dam’s reservoir capacity, he added.
According to Behzad Shir-Panjeh, head of Lake Urmia National Park, recent sedimentation has restored the reservoir in Lake Urmia.
Rainfall in the lake basin contributed to vegetation and shrub growth, providing a favorable food source for the island’s wildlife as it revived water reserves compared to past Iranian years (March to March 2024).
Officials also say that the island of Lake Ashku Urmia has five reservoirs, considered one of the most important habitats for yellow deer in Persia, with two or one reservoir in the Espir and Kabdan Islands. Collected water is released in the summer.
Thanks to increased rainfall, seagulls and flamingos nest and laid eggs on the islands of Urmia National Park Lake.
Repair efforts
Through a joint project led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and funded by the Japanese government, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will participate in promoting sustainable agricultural practices and solutions for the conservation of urban lakes.
On December 1, 2024, the Japanese government and UNDP signed the exchange of notes to launch a project to develop a conservation system for Lake Urmia and other wetlands.
the communities around them. ” The project, which will be held between 2024 and 2028, will be implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment and FAO.
Focusing on sustainable agriculture and climate-adapted livelihoods, the initiative aims to provide long-term benefits to the community while preserving wetland biodiversity as a key ecosystem.
Lake Urmia faces major challenges due to the overdose of water resources, which has been expanded by the effects of climate change, and has severely impacted its ecosystem.
Agricultural activities in the region are becoming increasingly vulnerable to water shortages, a situation exacerbated by the effects of climate change. Research shows that these climate change could further disrupt the vulnerable environment of the agrifood system and lakes in the future.
With support from the Japanese government, FAO has identified technical agricultural solutions to increase water efficiency in the agricultural sector in the Urmia Lake Basin.
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