Chall llenges of Urmia Lake and Restoration Program By: Hossein - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

In the name of God Chall llenges of Urmia Lake and Restoration Program By: Hossein Shahbaz ulrp@sharif.edu Photo: Urmia Lake dried bed

 IRAN: 6 main hydrological Basins;  Area of the Basin:52,000 Sq.Km  Area of the Urmia Lake (original size): 5,000 Sq.Km  Population: 5,000,000 (2011)  Provinces: West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, Kurdistan Lake Urmia Basin 2

Different sectors contribution in Urmia basin’s GDP and employment 2007 Water consumption Employment Proportion in Urmia sector percentage percentage basin ’ s GDP 1 36.5 58 service 1.4 34.2 27 industry 89 29.3 15 agriculture source : Studies of the National Water Master Plan- update 3

Ecological Values of the wetlands in Lake Urmia Basin • 1 National Park - Lake Urmia • 1 UNESCO - Biosphere Reserve - Lake Urmia • 5 Ramsar Sites in the basin - Lake Urmia and some of satellite wetlands. • 9 Globally important bird area - Lake Urmia and satellite wetlands. 4

Ulrp.sharif.ir 5

Ecological Values (continue): White Pelican breading in Lake Urmia islands – old photo from DOE Archive 6

Ecological Values (continue): Artemia urmiana Endemic species in Lake Urmia 7

Levels of Urmia Lake 1965 - 2015 1279 Highest level: 1278 1278.1m in 1995 1277 Lowest level: 1270.06m in 2015 1276 1275 Ecological Level LEVEL (M) 1274 8 meters declined 1273 1272 1271 1270 1269 1965 1989 1995 2001 2015 1344 1348 1352 1356 1360 1364 1368 1372 1376 1380 1384 1388 1392 9 YEAR

Lake Urmia

bed of Urmia Lake – Summer 2013

Challenges (continue): Drought-ness in Lake Urmia Islands - and Migration of Wildlife to out of the lake Date: Dec. 2010 12

Challenges : - Crystallization of salt in Lake Urmia Salt Density: 400 g/L - Date: Dec. 2010 13

Agricultural lands around the dried lake are drying out

Had been Urmia lake dry up during its history ? Except from last decades observations, do geological evidences confirm natural lake dry up due to the global warming? 200000 years hydrological fluctuation in Urmia lake Urmia lake 2014

Main reasons in drying up Urmia lake 16

Urmia lake status variation during last 100 years ago

Weather variation in Urmia lake basin Long-term mean precipitation series in Urmia lake basin 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 1995 2001 2006 2012 18

Weather variation in Urmia lake basin Mean temperature fluctuation in Urmia lake basin 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 1995 2001 2006 2012 19

The variation of runoff entering the lake 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 1995 2001 2006 2012 20

Province Utilized Under construction No. Water No Water Reservoir . Reservoir MCM MCM E. Azerbaijan 63 616.2 2 32.3 W. Azerbaijan 14 1751.8 5 696 21 Kurdistan 1 86 Total 77 2368 8 814.3

Zola river Declined 66% Nazloo River Declined 57% Rozeh Chai Delined 56% Shahar Chai Declined 71% Declining of surface water runoff to the lake comparing two periods: Reference: Management of Water Resources of Iran Company Before crisis 1966-1996 After crisis 1997- 2012

Location of the wells in three provinces Wells located in East Azerbaijan 107000 wells are available in the basin which are consuming surface water then no water can reach the lake. Wells located in West Azerbaijan Wells Year 2002 2007 2012 located in Number 64400 88900 107000 Kurdistan of wells

Trend of number of the wells 90000 85000 80000 75000 Total 70000 65000 60000 Shallow wells 55000 50000 Number 45000 40000 35000 30000 25000 20000 Deep wells 15000 10000 5000 0 يبآ لاس 1971 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2005 2010 2014 24

Irrigated Area Changes Orchards increased % 33 and irrigated lands increased % 105 25 Ref.: Fatahian (2012)

Trend of irrigation lands changes 600 500 400 1000 ha 300 200 100 0 1353 1358 1363 1368 1373 1378 1383 1388 1393 1978 1985 1995 2005 2010 2014 26

2013-2014 27 27 عبنم :ش یتعنص هاگشناد رود زا شجنس زکرمفیر

Crop Pattern changes Crop 1994 2006 381751 511926 Total Irrigation Land 43 36 % % Grains 25 20 % % Fodder 2.6 1.5 % % Cereals 1.6 0.24 % % Oil Seeds 1.9 4.4 % % Sugar beet 6 ---- % Vegetables 3.8 3.5 % % Potato 16 30 % % Orchards 30

Challenges (continue): - Prevention of water Circulation in the lake by causeway

يكشخ موادت زا يشان ياه بيسآ و تارطخ مها هيمورا هچايرد Salt storm  ررگزير ديلوت ياه نوناك هعسوت زا يشان يكمن ياهدرگزير داجيا رد د نآ رواجم راز هروش قطانم و هيمورا هچايرد  ينوكسم و يزرواشك ياه هدودحم هب نآ هعسوت و يياز نابايب  هقطنم رد جلبعلا بعص ياه يراميب داجيا  يزرواشك يضارا نتفر نيب زا  ياهاترسور هيلخت هژيو هب و هچايرد رواجم قطانم زا ترجاهم شيازفا هچايرد كيدزن  هقطنم رد يميلقا تاناسون و رييغت ديدشت 33

Introducing Urmia lake as one of the main centers in the Middle East Ginoux et al., 2012 ) (

Dust production cores Maximum Repetition observed area Zone number number (km 2 ) 1 39 1 6 88 2 1 23 3 4 23 4 4 44 5

Fluent sand on west margin of Urmia Lake (Jebel-Kandy region) January 2015 36

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HYSPLIT4 simulation results for August 2012 Dust trajectories will get altitude up to 1000 m over the ground surface and will distribute northward to more than latitude of 41  N. It means the situation of Lake Urmia is not a national problem and it will affect a region with a radius of more than 250 km 38

َ Changes in the area of the Urmia lake and the Albedo 0.18 5,000 4,500 0.16 4,000 0.14 Area of the U.L AREA OF URMIA LAKE (SQ.KM) 3,500 0.12 3,000 0.1 ALBEDO 2,500 0.08 2,000 0.06 1,500 0.04 1,000 Albedo of U.L 0.02 500 0 0 YEAR From 2007 to 2013, Urmia lake ’ s albedo has improved fourth fold and total lake and dried up regions Albedo has grown as many 2.5 times as its previous value.

Urmia Lake water level before crisis: 1277.69 masl Current water level: 1270.30 masl Lake salinity before crisis: 160 ppt Amount of salt in Lake water: Where the salt has gone? 33 bm3 * 240 kg/m3 = 8 Billion tons Minerals are sedimented mostly in deep zones Annual evaporation and consequent salt/minerals sedimentation added layer on layer to fill the deep parts causing significant changes in geomorphology of the lake 40 40

Threats • Health • Agriculture/Economical – Skin – Farms – Eyes – Tourism – Lungs – • Social – Leave their land • Environmental – Unemployment – Salt – Desertification – Migrant Birds – Wildlife 41

Health Threats A Pilot on Health Issue  Subject: The Epidemiology of diseases from dust  Objective: Assessment of dust impacts on Lungs of School Children  Study area; 3 schools, 88 students 42

Probable disease due to continuing the status quo 1. Asthma and Bronchitis 2. Acute Respiratory Infections 3. Upper respiratory infections 4. Occlusive disease of the respiratory 5. Various types of incurable diseases 6. Cardiovascular disease and heart attacks

8 5 4 3 2 1 15 7 12 10 9 6 14 13 11 44

Urm rmia ia La Lake Res estor oratio ion Nation Na onal Co Committee Socio-cultural council of West Azerbaijan Steering Committee Sec Secretary and and Ex Executive Dir Director Socio-cultural council of East Azerbaijan Techn hnical l Com ommit ittee Urmia ia Lak Lake Restoratio ion Prog ogram su supe pervis ised by by Shar harif if Univ niversit ity y of f Tec West Azerbaij ijan Eas ast Azerbaij ijan Coo oordin inatin ing Com ommit ittee Prov ovin incia ial l Offic ice Prov ovin incia ial l Offic ice Pl Plan annin ing and nd Resource Mob obili ilizatio tion Unit nit (PRM RMU) Tabriz iz Univ niversity ty Urmia ia Univ niversity ity Econ onomic ical l Soc ocio io-cu cult ltural l Executi Ex tive Man anagement t Internatio ional l Research Offic ice Com ommit ittee Com ommit ittee Offic ice Coo ooperatio tion Div Div 45