Iran International
Iran’s Lake Urima, once the largest lake in the Middle East, is now all but dry, threatening mass displacement and environmental collapse amid the country’s worst drought in living memory.
Despite repeated government pledges over two decades, the lake’s revival plans have faltered due to chronic underfunding, bureaucratic turf wars, and weak enforcement.
Over 90 percent of the country is experiencing some level of drought, with rainfall plummeting and water reserves dwindling.
The drying of major water bodies like Lake Urmia and the Zayandeh Rud River has intensified Iran’s overlapping economic and ecological crises, as decades of mismanagement catches up with the theocratic establishment.
A mighty ecosystem in retreat
Lake Urmia was once the sixth-largest saltwater lake in the world, spanning over 5,000 square kilometers. It supported rich biodiversity and helped regulate the region’s climate.
But years of poor water management, over-extraction, and climate change have pushed it to the edge. On July 20, Hojjat Jabari, an environmental official in West Azerbaijan Province, issued a stark warning:
“If current conditions continue, Lake Urmia is likely to dry up completely by the end of the summer. We haven’t reached that stage yet—but we’re getting dangerously close.”
Recent satellite images confirm that more than 95% of the lakebed is now dry. Scientists warn that full ecological collapse may soon become irreversible.
What went wrong?
Since the early 2000s, Iran has constructed over 20 major dams and countless smaller ones that divert water from the lake’s main tributaries. Tens of thousands of deep wells—legal and illegal—also draw heavily from groundwater reserves that once fed the lake.
The situation has been worsened by state policies promoting water-intensive crops such as sugar beets, melons, and apples, far beyond the region’s ecological limits.
One of the most damaging interventions came in the early 2000s, when a causeway and bridge were built across the lake, splitting it in two. The structure disrupted natural water circulation and caused the southern basin to turn into a salt flat years before the northern section followed.
Salt storms and human costs
Estimates suggest the lake holds between 1 to 2 billion tons of salt. As the water disappears, winds pick up this salt and spread it across surrounding areas. Videos shared on social media show sweeping salt storms engulfing nearby villages.
If the lake fully dries up, the health and livelihoods of over five million people in cities like Oroumieh, Salmas, and Tabriz could be severely affected. Salt particles in the air can cause respiratory illnesses, destroy farmland, and contaminate water supplies.
In the worst-case scenario, experts warn, northwestern Iran could face mass migration as the region becomes increasingly uninhabitable.
Is there still hope?
Experts caution that without immediate and drastic intervention, the opportunity to revive the lake may be lost for good. But partial recovery is still possible—if bold reforms are enacted now.
These include halting dam expansions, reducing agricultural water consumption, switching to less water-intensive crops, and modernizing irrigation infrastructure.
The challenge is immense, but failing to act would mean not just the death of a lake, but the beginning of a wider environmental and human catastrophe.
