The wetlands of Lake Urmia are extremely valuable ecosystems that have tremendous impacts on biodiversity, local economy, and climate regulation. These ecosystems not only attract tourists and researchers, but also serve as habitats for migratory birds, unique animal species, and plants. Recently, the dire situation of Lake Urmia, the third largest saltwater lake in the world, has caught the attention of environmental activists and the public once again. With its rich biodiversity, Lake Urmia is home to over 210 bird species such as flamingos, pelicans, spoonbills, and sea eagles, as well as many reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. (1) While climate change has been used as an excuse by the Islamic Republic to deflect responsibility for the environmental disaster facing Lake Urmia, studies and research show that less than twenty percent of the lake’s water depletion is due to climate change.

More than 28% of the people living in the Urmia Lake area rely on agricultural production for their livelihood. (2) To supply water for these agricultural lands, more than 106,000 authorized and unauthorized wells have been created in the Urmia Lake area, ranking first in the country for the density of unauthorized wells. (1) The area of land under cultivation around Urmia Lake has more than doubled since 1980. (3) In addition, the crops grown on these lands have shifted from legumes to crops that require more water, such as sugar beets, vegetables, melons, and watermelons. For example, in the past four decades, the production of apples, grapes, and sugar beets in the Urmia Lake basin has almost tripled. (3) Thirteen permanent rivers, including two important rivers, Zarrinehrood and Siminehrood, which originate from the Zagros Mountains in Kurdistan,

There are approximately 8 billion cubic meters of salt in this lake, which, in the event of the lake drying up, will threaten the lives of the majority of plants and animals in this region in the form of salt storms, leading to an environmental, agricultural, and social disaster. (2) A population of over 6.4 million people live around Lake Urmia – including in the two major cities of Tabriz and Urmia – who will be forced to migrate if the lake dries up. (4) The right to live in a clean and healthy environment is a fundamental right for all beings. The drying up of Lake Urmia has led to the destruction of the environment in this region, which in turn violates the right to a healthy life for the people and animals in the area. This issue, along with violations of environmental rights and environmental justice, can have serious impacts on the economic and social lives of people, the region, and the lives of animals.

The Islamic Republic, throughout all these years, has lost all golden opportunities to revive Lake Urmia by pursuing fundamental solutions to remove the country from its critical situation, with failed plans such as water transfer. These water transfer plans, besides being very costly and time-consuming, only transfer the root of the crisis from one region to another. The root of this crisis, which has taken hold of Lake Urmia and the environment of Iran, comes from a mindset that seeks to isolate Iran and make it self-sufficient and independent, turning it into a colony of China and Russia. Throughout all these years, the politicians of the Islamic Republic have tried to portray the sanctions imposed on the people of Iran due to their nuclear adventures and governing policies as insignificant and even beneficial. But in reality, it is the suffering environment of Iran that pays the main cost of these adventures. The effort for self-sufficiency in wheat leads to the drying up of rivers, wetlands, and the depletion of underground water

The current crisis in Lake Urmia is not only due to failed water transfer projects, but also a major wound in the overall economic, political, and social policies of this regime. If a normal, secular, and democratic government were to rule in Iran, taking into account the country’s environmental conditions, the economy of many regions in Iran – including the Lake Urmia area – would have to shift from agriculture to a service-based economy. Currently, there is a possibility that Lake Urmia will never return to its original state, but with proper planning and expert work, there is still a chance to revive this lake. The first step is to break the wall and siege imposed by the current regime in Iran. Iran can only find the opportunity to solve its environmental problems by being an active and respected member of the international community. To revive Lake Urmia and heal Iran’s ailing environment, the first step is to lift the siege on Iran and engage in cross-border cooperation in the

Footnotes:

1- Parsinejad, M., Rosenberg, D. E., Ghale, Y. A. G., Khazaei, B., Null, S. E., Raja, O., … & Wurtsbaugh, W. A. (2022). 40 years of research on the restoration of Lake Urmia: Review, synthesis, and future steps.

علم محیط کلی

Science of The Total Environment.

Sorry, there is no Farsi text provided. Please provide the text so I can translate it for you.

Eight hundred and thirty-two.

155055 is not a valid Farsi text. It appears to be a series of numbers. Please provide the correct Farsi text for translation.

2- Wurtsbaugh, W. A., & Sima, S. (2022). Comparing the management and outcomes of two similar lakes: Great Salt Lake (USA) and Lake Urmia (Iran).

آب

Water.

There is no Farsi text provided to translate. Please provide the text to be translated.

چهارده

14

Nineteen, three thousand and five.

Geosci.

3- Bashirian, F., Rahimi, D., Movahedi, S., Zakerinejad, R., 2020. Water level instability analysis of Urmia Lake Basin in the northwest of Iran. Arab. J. Geosci.

Translation: The article titled “Water level instability analysis of Urmia Lake Basin in the northwest of Iran” was written by Bashirian, F., Rahimi, D., Movahedi, S., and Zakerinejad, R. in 2020 and published in the Arab Journal of Geosciences. The article discusses the analysis of water level fluctuations in the Urmia Lake Basin located in the northwest region of Iran.

Geosci.

13. Thirteen.

4- Alizade Govarchin Ghale, Y., Baykara, M., Unal, A., 2019. Investigating the interaction between agricultural lands and Urmia Lake ecosystem using remote sensing techniques and hydro-climatic data analysis. Agric. Water Manag. 221, 566–579. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/J.AGWAT.2019.05.028.

This text discusses a study conducted by Alizade Govarchin Ghale, Y., Baykara, M., and Unal, A. in 2019. The study focuses on the relationship between agricultural lands and the ecosystem of Urmia Lake, using remote sensing techniques and analyzing hydro-climatic data. The results of the study were published in the journal Agric. Water Manag. and can be found in the article with the DOI number 10.1016/J.AGWAT.2019.05.028