Iran warns of risk of salt storms due to drying of Lake Urmia

The ongoing drying of Lake Urmia and the rising concentration of salt could lead to the formation of salt storms, the consequences of which would not be limited to Iran and could also affect Türkiye, Iraq, Georgia and Azerbaijan, Ahmad Fakhrifard, a lecturer at the Faculty of Water Resources of Tabriz University, said.

Report informs, referring to the Iranian media, that speaking about the scale of the crisis at Lake Urmia, the professor from Tabriz University warned that the issue has already ceased to be a purely local or national environmental problem and has turned into a social as well as an international one.

According to him, even if about 3.5 billion cubic meters of water were to flow into the lake, its full restoration would take at least 14 years. Overall, restoring the fragile ecosystem after years of damage requires patience, consistent science-based policies, and consensus between executive authorities and research institutions.

"According to the studies conducted, in order to maintain the lake's minimum ecological sustainability, it is necessary to supply it with at least 2.3 billion cubic metres of water," Fakhrifard noted.