Lake Urmia hits six-year high after favorable precipitation
Lake Urmia’s water level has climbed to its highest point since 2020, Iranian officials said during a field inspection of the northwestern salt lake on Tuesday, as authorities stepped up efforts to stabilize one of the Middle East’s most fragile ecosystems.
Reza Rahmani, governor of West Azarbaijan Province and secretary of the national task force for Lake Urmia restoration, said the lake’s water level had reached 1,271.03 meters after months of increased inflows averaging roughly 30 million cubic meters per day. The improvement has triggered the revival of Artemia, the lake’s native brine shrimp, and the return of migratory birds to the internationally known wetland, IRNA reported.
Rahmani attributed the recovery to heavier rainfall, river dredging, controlled water releases and the refilling of surrounding wetlands, but warned that “summer evaporation cycles” could reverse the gains if current conditions fail to hold through 2027.
He said authorities had launched a broad campaign to cut agricultural water consumption by 50% across the basin through crop-pattern reforms and modern irrigation systems, while also calling on universities in Urmia and Tabriz to help develop long-term stabilization plans.
The revival of Artemia has also drawn attention to the lake’s economic potential. Nasser Agh, head of the Artemia Research Institute at Urmia University, said expanded Artemia cultivation and exports could help finance restoration projects while supporting Iran’s aquaculture sector.
A pilot artificial-lake project near Rahmanlu Port in East Azarbaijan Province is expected to produce up to 50 tons of Artemia annually, alongside five tons of Artemia cysts used in fish and shrimp farming.
It is said that public participation and tighter controls on illegal water extraction remain essential to preventing renewed drought conditions in the basin.