“I am Lake Urmia” petition delivered to the UN Resident Coordinator in Iran

“Periodic droughts, lack of awareness, lack of coordination and cooperation among countries of the region and wrong policies have resulted in shortage of water in the region including Iran” states the introduction of the “I am Lake Urmia” signed by over 1.7 million Iranians addressed to the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, AVA Diplomatic reports.

“I am Lake Urmia” campaign was launched at the end of August 2016 and quickly amassed a huge level of popular support.

The aim of this campaign is to raise awareness about the critical condition of Lake Urmia and to gain one million supporters and signatures in order to urge the United Nations to discuss ways, and to come up with plans to revive the salt lake which is located at the north-west of the country and has shrunk by a shocking 95 percent during the last decade.

Today, at a press-conference organized at the United Nations Common Premises, the petition was delivered to the UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Gary Lewis by a group of young Iranians from the Lake Urmia area and the well-known Iranian actor, Mr. Reza Kianian.

While receiving the petition, Mr. Lewis expressed concern over the shortage of water in the region as a result of which not only the livelihoods of people are under threat, but also their health and their economic future.

Mr. Lewis took the opportunity to speak about what the UN has been doing – ever since 2005 – to help save Lake Urmia in collaboration with national and international partners.

“I would like to take this opportunity to share with you what the Government of Iran through the Department of Environment together with the Government of Japan, the provincial Government of East and West Azerbaijan, the local community and the United Nations are doing together.”

Mr. Lewis continued: “The United Nations has two agencies that are working in Lake Urmia – one is UN Development Programme and the other is the Food and Agriculture Organization. We are working with the local communities in the lake basin to develop a sustainable agricultural crop management.”

He went on to outline some of the work in the past two years where, by introducing new cultivation techniques in 10 per cent of the agricultural area, the farming communities consumed one-third less water. Water which, he said, could be allowed to flow back into the lake, and help to replenish it. The need of the hour, he stated, was to upscale the techniques which can help release more water into the lake. He also noted that the government was undertaking engineering works to achieve the same goal. He said it is too early to tell whether the combination of these efforts is what has contributed to the recent increase in the level of the lake by a few centimetres.

Mr. Lewis said Iranians should focus more on finding solutions and not so much on re-stating the problem. “There are solutions and we are working on them with our partners. Do we need to work harder and faster? Yes. One really important aspect of this work is raising awareness among the public – especially young people who will grow up and become the managers of this beautiful country.”

The petition will be sent to the UN Headquarters in New York for Mr. Ban Ki-moon.