Aerial view of Lake Urmia

URMIA, Apr. 05 (MNA) – Once almost 30 feet deep, the largest in the Middle East and one of the largest in the world; lake Urmia now looks more like a great dry plain, with patches of water. A decade of frenzied water exploitation has reduced it by 80%, putting at risk its local nature. Although recent monsoon rains have increased the level of water, the distance between the shore and the lake in most regions has not been reduced to a normal extent.