If Three Billion Cubic Meters of Water Had Reached Lake Urmia Annually, It Would Not Have Died/Lack of Ministry Coordination Doomed Restoration

At a time when the media are reporting the “definite death of Lake Urmia,” Farhad Sarkhosh, the former Director of Provincial Affairs of the Lake Urmia Restoration Headquarters, in an interview with Rokna’s social affairs reporter, explained the details of this environmental disaster. He identified inaction by responsible institutions, misallocation of water resources, and the abandonment of restoration projects as the main causes behind the destruction of one of the world’s largest saltwater lakes.

Sarkhosh stated:

“A lake that, after forty thousand years of existence, was known as the largest salt lake in the country and one of Iran’s geographical landmarks, has completely dried up. The cause is clear: the projects that were supposed to be implemented under the Restoration Headquarters from 2013 to 2021 were not fully executed. After 2021, none of the water transfer and water rights allocation programs continued.”

Regarding the current condition of the lake, he said:

“In the 2020–2021 water year, the lake held about 9 percent of its water share — that is, about 3.9 billion cubic meters of water. But now, four years later, this amount has dropped to around 300 to 400 million cubic meters, which will completely evaporate within the next 10 to 15 days. In other words, practically nothing is left of the lake. Just a few days ago, the Director General of Meteorology of West Azerbaijan Province announced that the lake has completely dried up and contains no water.”

There Was a Roadmap, But No Will

Sarkhosh went on to reference a scientific roadmap that was developed in the early 2010s with contributions from domestic and international universities:

“In 2013 and 2014, a roadmap was designed in cooperation with leading national universities and some international universities, which precisely outlined how much water should be allocated to the lake annually and what software and hardware projects needed to be implemented. Until 2021, the projects were implemented despite various problems and obstacles, but after that, everything was abandoned. The result is that the lake practically no longer exists.”

From Prohibited Development to Uncontrolled Beet Farming

One of Farhad Sarkhosh’s main criticisms was the illegal expansion of agriculture in the Lake Urmia basin:

“In the Lake Urmia catchment area — whether in the western part, the eastern part, or even in Kurdistan Province — about 90 percent of water resources are used for agriculture. Unfortunately, in recent years, the area under cultivation has expanded uncontrollably. According to the Restoration Headquarters’ map, agricultural development was strictly prohibited — especially beet cultivation, which is a highly water-consuming crop. It was supposed to be limited to only 12,000 hectares. But now, not only has the area of beet cultivation multiplied, but even a beet processing factory has been built near the downstream area of Naqadeh. This means that the basin’s water resources are being entirely consumed by agriculture, and nothing is left for the lake.”

He added:

“We had projects in place for organizing agriculture; spectral strip farming was planned, concrete irrigation canals between farms were to be built, and farming was supposed to be mechanized and targeted. But all of these actions were halted after 2021. Now, everyone farms as they please and there is no supervision. Agricultural development is out of control, and the lake — which, like a living being, could only survive with water rights — is now doomed to destruction.”

The Role of the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad

Sarkhosh also explicitly criticized the weakness in inter-agency cooperation:

“Until 2021, the Restoration Headquarters implemented its projects in full coordination with the ministries, because it was based in Tehran and had specialized managers. It received national funding and secured water rights through pressure and negotiation with the Ministry of Energy, ensuring their release. But after 2021, all authority was handed over to the provinces — provinces that lack the tools and ability to defend water rights at the national level. In this structure, the main body — the central headquarters — was removed, and the system effectively fell apart.”

Pezeshkian and the Fruitless Restoration

In response to a question about the role of the current president, Masoud Pezeshkian — who was previously a member of the Restoration Headquarters — Sarkhosh said:

“He had full knowledge of the lake’s condition and was involved in the projects from the beginning. He was aware of the consequences of its drying up. He had ordered that the projects be implemented exactly according to the roadmap — projects such as completing wastewater treatment plants, water transfer operations, tunnel constructions, and river dredging. But these projects were either not implemented or left unfinished. When no water reached the lake, this is the result we now see: the complete drying up of the lake.”

In the End, Neither Water Remained, Nor Hope

Farhad Sarkhosh concluded with a statement full of despair and sorrow:

“If only two to three billion cubic meters of water had reached the lake each year, it would have remained moist permanently. The problems of dust storms, salt storms, displacement of people, and respiratory illnesses would not have occurred. The goal of the restoration was not to fill the lake once and for all; the goal was to keep it perpetually moist and alive. Now, not only has the lake been destroyed, but the consequences of its drying up are also irreversible.”