MNA – In the 7th month of the current Iranian calendar year, Mehr, (starting September 23, 2019), water level in Urmia Lake, has increased by 75 centimeters, i.e. two billion cubic meters, compared to the same month in the year before.

Last June, the surface area of the Urmia Lake increased by 829 square kilometers, thanks to the two-month-long springtime showers that began pouring across the country in March, when the lake's water surface has reached 3,231 square kilometers, a doubled amount in comparison with preceding year.

Located between the provinces of East and West Azarbaijan, 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 has also exerted a severe impact on the reservoir.

Now that the lake has been revived by the help of the mother nature, the officials have geared up to implement the long-awaited plans, including water transfer both from domestic and foreign bodies, in order not to let the lake dry up again.