Environment

First Cabinet Decision of Iranian President Rouhani is to Save Lake Oroumieh

First Cabinet Decision of Iranian President Rouhani is to Save Lake Oroumieh
Bernadine Racoma

When you are president of a country, most of the decisions expected from you usually involve political affairs. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, instead of resolving his country’s nuclear disputes as his first cabinet decision, wants to save Lake Oroumieh, his country’s dying lake from completely disappearing. It is one of his top priorities right now.

Lake Oroumieh

The lake is the sixth largest saltwater lake in the world and the largest in the Middle East. Its former surface area is 2,000 square miles or 5,200 square kilometers. The lake is a protected area that is registered internationally as a Ramsar site and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It is designated as a national park by the Iranian Department of Environment. Lake Oroumieh (Urumieh), also called Lake Urmia provides a home to Iranian yellow deer as well as 26 other mammal species, 7 types of amphibians, 41 reptiles and 212 bird species.

Iranians are alarmed by the rapid salination of the lake due to its diminishing size. There is major concern because for the past 10 years, the lake has already shrunk by 80%. Its surface area now is just around 1,000 square kilometers or about 400 square miles. Reasons given for the rapid shrinkage are the damming of the rivers that feed the lake, the expanded irrigation system established by nearby farms, and climate change. Rocks that were once underwater can now be seen in the desert areas. Since its salt content has increased, the lake no longer sustains any type of fish. Experts fear that the lake, without preservation efforts being done, is likely to disappear within two short years.

Campaign promise

Hassan Rouhani, who took office as the President of Iran on August 13, 2013 is fulfilling his campaign promise to rescue Lake Urumieh. He is setting up the plan to rescue the lake, which is his first cabinet decision. His cabinet has already formed a team headed by Iranian scholar Isa Kalantari. The conference for the preservation of the lake was held in Tehran just this week, attended by Iranian scientists and foreign experts from Belgium, Russia and the United States. Mr. Kalantari and his team are tasked to have a final plan for the lake’s rescue by May this year.

Proposals

Among the 20 proposals already submitted include cloud-seeding to help increase rainfall, building a pipeline system to bring more water into the lake as well as establishment of non-agricultural based industries that are not reliant on water. They are encouraging farmers to follow water-saving applications such as drip irrigation systems and switching to crops that use less water like pistachios and wheat instead of sugar beets. Already, the salty winds from the lake are affecting the growth and production of grapes and almonds in nearby farms.

Iran and Armenia agreed this week to transfer water from Armenia into the lake.

Photo credit: Taken by Mojtaba Salimi> under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

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