Aref: The drying up of Lake Urmia will affect the region

According to Ashura News, Mehr News Agency, Mohammad Reza Aref, speaking at a meeting of the National Working Group to Save Lake Urmia this morning (Tuesday), which was attended by the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, the governors of Kurdistan, West Azerbaijan, and officials of the relevant agencies, stated that saving Lake Urmia has become an old and ideal issue, and noted: The drying up of Lake Urmia will not only affect several fertile provinces of the country, but it could also affect the region.

The First Vice President, pointing out that the previous approvals and efforts of the National Working Group to Save Lake Urmia show that the restoration of this lake has been the concern of all governments, and that the lake's water level should be increased with the sympathy and synergy of the entire country, said: Climatic conditions and rainfall were deteriorating compared to the long-term average, and despite high investment, the water level did not increase. Of course, it should be kept in mind that if the efforts of the National Working Group to Save Lake Urmia had not been made, it would not have been clear what stage the lake's surface would have been in, and the actions of all previous governments have preserved the lake's condition.

Aref emphasized: We should not limit ourselves to our own experience, facilities, and science, but rather we should use the experiences of other countries, scientists, and experts abroad, along with the technical opinions of experts and research and academic centers.

Referring to the importance and prestige of saving Lake Urmia and appreciating the efforts of the previous working groups to save Lake Urmia, the First Vice President said: All provinces adjacent to Lake Urmia, including West and East Azerbaijan and Kurdistan, should increase their solidarity and synergy in efforts to save this lake, along with those involved.

He noted the importance of the presence and role of the people, as well as non-governmental organizations, in advancing the Lake Urmia saving programs and emphasized: "In every action we asked for help from the people, they have come forward, and the issues and problems must be explained and justified to them. We do not make the issues and problems cultural, and government decisions do not have the support of the people to the extent that the people of the provinces adjacent to this lake are not aware of the measures taken to save this lake and do not know the government's requests to advance the Lake Urmia saving programs." Aref clarified: "We believe that if the people are aware of the government's actions or if matters are entrusted to them, they will do better than the governments, and people should not feel that they are going to have problems in implementing the Lake Urmia saving programs. "

He added: Environmental NGOs have a brilliant history in the country and have always helped governments, and it should be borne in mind that the government alone and without the help of the people and communities cannot protect the environment, and the people must come to the fore to help the government.

Referring to the discussions raised in recent years regarding the Secretariat of the National Working Group to Save Lake Urmia, and stating that a sectional approach to national issues such as the restoration of Lake Urmia causes friction in the process of activities, Aref continued: Transferring the responsibility of the Secretariat to the Governor of West Azerbaijan does not absolve other provinces adjacent to the lake, as well as relevant institutions and departments, and everyone should help this province in implementing programs, and considering the relatively critical conditions of this lake, meetings should be held more regularly and seriously.

The First Vice President emphasized: Any mechanism to save Lake Urmia or raise the water level must be carried out with specific quantitative goals and with the empathy and coordination of all the country's organs.

Emphasizing the necessity of utilizing the media's capacities in explaining the government's actions to the people, especially in the field of Lake Urmia's restoration, Aref emphasized: We can act with two management methods: either we blame others for the problems or we raise issues and problems, in which case some experts and officials accuse a province of not cooperating, or by changing an official, all the efforts of the past decade are negated. It should be kept in mind that the country's capacity is the same, and with these capacities, all governments and officials have made great efforts. Constructive criticism should be alongside suggestions, and we should not raise our image yesterday by negating today's actions.

It is worth mentioning that in this meeting, Reza Rahmani, Secretary of the Lake Urmia Saving Working Group, presented a report on the measures taken, especially the opinions of university professors, to solve the crisis of this lake, and then the proposed plans were discussed and reviewed.