Trend, Azerbaijan
Oct 1 2011
Iran to start water transfer plan from Araz to Orumiyeh Lake
1 October 2011, 14:50 (GMT+05:00) Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 1/Trend A.
Qurbanova, D.Khatinoglu/
Iran signed the agreement with northern neighbors to transfer water
from its sector of the Araz River to Orumiyeh Lake, IRNA quoted Iran’s
Energy Minister Majid Namjou as saying.
“The Araz River is located in the border,” he said. According to the
agreement with neighbors, about 50 percent of the river belongs to
Iran and the rest to its neighbors.”
He said that water transferred from the Araz River to the west of
Azerbaijan in the long term period will solve the drought problem in
Orumiyeh lake.
Iran will use water from the Araz River and the country will not seek
for using sectors of other neighbors.
The Iranian government approved assigning $900 million to protect
Orumiyeh Lake from drying up. This amount has been granted to transfer
water from rivers in the Kurdistan province to Orumiyeh Lake .
Earlier, the Ecology and Natural Resources Minister of Azerbaijan
Huseyngulu Bagirov said that Iran has not officially appealed to
Azerbaijan regarding the use of Araz River waters to prevent Lake
Urmia(Orumiyeh).
He said that the Azerbaijani side was informed of the use of Araz
River waters to prevent the swallowing of Lake Urmia only through
media reports.
“If in fact there is such an intention, Iran must coordinate this
issue with Azerbaijan,” Bagirov said, stressing that Iran and
Azerbaijan have made an agreement on the use of waters of the Araz
River.
“The agreement reflects many issues. It was agreed that each party may
use water from the river for agriculture and other needs,” Bagirov
said.
He said that a certain water level should be maintained in the river
to preserve the ecological balance.
As an example, Bagirov stressed that the Armenians have altered the
riverbed of the Tovuz River for their own purposes. Naturally, they
will feel the ecological consequences.
“The lake’s disappearance would leave behind it a residue of 10
billion tons of salt, which threatens the lives of 14 million citizens
around the lake,” Orumiyeh lawmaker Javad Jahangirzadeh said earlier.
Iran ‘s largest lake, Orumiyeh, dried up by almost one-third, the
Director of the Iranian State Department for Lake Protection Ali
Nazardust said earlier. Dams, rainfall shortages, and other negative
factors have caused Orumiyeh Lake to dry up.
At present the lake’s salinity level is at 330 percent, Nazardust
said. Earlier the figure was 160-170 percent and the reservoir covered
5,000 square meters.