On Wednesday, September 18th, Iran’s state-run Etemad newspaper reported that Lake Urmia, once the largest saltwater lake in the Middle East, has completely dried up. This marks a significant escalation of the region’s environmental crisis, posing serious health risks to more than 5 million people living around the lake.
The report revealed that although the lake held about one billion cubic meters of water during the spring and winter seasons, it has fully evaporated by September of this year. This follows a pattern of seasonal draining, but the complete desiccation now marks a tipping point.
Impact on Local Communities and Ecosystems
The drying of Lake Urmia, which had almost completely disappeared once before in September 2022, has intensified the risk of dust storms for nearby residents. The disappearance of water has also decimated local wildlife, particularly Artemia brine shrimp and flamingo populations, and has severely impacted agriculture and tourism.
The environmental disaster has even altered the region’s geography. The drying of the lake has caused four southern islands to merge, forming land bridges that threaten the survival of the mammals once isolated on these islands, including Iranian deer and Armenian wild sheep.
Expert Insights and Criticism of Restoration Efforts
Mehdi Zareh, a university professor and head of the Geology Department at the Academy of Sciences, has been vocal about the urgency of restoring Lake Urmia. In an article for Etemad titled “The Necessity of Restoring Lake Urmia,” Zareh shared satellite images that show the lake’s northern and southern regions were entirely dry as of September 7, with salt crusts visibly coating the ground.
Zareh was critical of the lake’s restoration efforts, which began in 2013 during the first administration of Hassan Rouhani. He argued that the measures taken to revive the lake were often populist and ineffective, noting that some projects may have inadvertently exacerbated the drying process. Key contributing factors to the crisis, according to Zareh, include mismanagement of water resources, climate change, illegal water use, dam construction, declining rainfall, drought, and the controversial “Shahid Kalantari” highway.
The Role of the Shahid Kalantari Highway
The 1,250-meter Shahid Kalantari highway, which cuts through the lake, has been a point of contention. Zareh highlighted its destructive impact on the lake’s ecosystem, stating that it exacerbates salinity levels, increases evaporation, and disrupts the natural balance between the lake’s northern and southern sections. These changes have contributed to the lake’s environmental degradation.
Seismic Activity Linked to Lake Urmia’s Water Levels
Zareh also discussed the connection between Lake Urmia’s fluctuating water levels and increased seismic activity in the region. Geological studies suggest that the filling and draining of the lake have triggered earthquakes in nearby areas. For instance, after the lake was filled in 2019, two earthquakes, both with magnitudes around 6 on the Richter scale, struck the towns of Salmas and Serow in West Azerbaijan province. Similarly, a series of earthquakes between 2022 and 2024 coincided with the lake’s latest drying phase, further supporting the hypothesis that these seismic events are linked to the lake’s dramatic changes in water levels.
In summary, the complete drying of Lake Urmia is a severe environmental catastrophe with widespread ramifications. The crisis not only threatens local wildlife and the livelihoods of residents but also increases the risk of earthquakes, signaling the urgent need for more effective and sustainable restoration efforts.
