According to Kioumars Daneshjou, in line with Urmia Lake's revival scheme, the first phase of water release from Derik Dam has been launched.
The plan is being implemented on the order of Iran Water Resources Management Company to replenish a small part of the ailing lake.
The official noted that strong flow will continue to pour some 4 million cubic meters of the water to the ailing body of water.
Derik Dam, located 15 kilometers west of Salmas County, supplies over 22 million cubic meters of freshwater for Salmas domestic and industrial demands. It also feeds some 6,000 hectares of farmlands in the vicinity of the lake.
Urmia Lake is a closed water body fed through 21 permanent and 39 seasonal rivers.
It was Iran’s largest inland body of water less than 20 years ago; however, it began drying up in the mid-2000s. According to international statistics, the lake lost about 80% of its waterbed by 2015.
Several dams constructed near the lake have choked off the water supply from the nearby mountains, contributing to the depletion of the lake. The construction of a 15-km causeway between Urmia and Tabriz and has also exerted a severe impact on the reservoir.
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