AMIR HeydariA local subsidiary of Iran’s Energy Ministry in West Azarbaijan province, where Lake Urmia is located, said on Tuesday that the amount of water in the lake had increased by 0.19 billion cubic meters to 1.24 billion cubic meters in the year to January 24.
It said in a statement that the depth of water in Lake Urmia had increased from 1,270.05 meters to 1,270.13 meters over the same period, Press TV reported.
The statement said the increase in water levels had allowed the lake to expand by 160 square kilometers to 930 square kilometers in the year to late January.
It said the increase in water levels in Lake Urmia is a sign that efforts carried out for the restoration of the lake have been successful.
Lake Urmia, a salt lake in northwest Iran near the border with Turkey, began to dry nearly two decades ago because of the excessive use of water from rivers feeding the lake as well as the construction of a controversial bridge over the body of water.
Iran has spent more than $1 billion since 2015 on dams and water transfer projects to restore Lake Urmia.
Experts believe the amount of water in Lake Urmia should reach over 5 billion cubic meters so that it can become ecologically stable.
DID
