Urmia lake was once buzzing with tourists. People used to live very well in hotels, boat houses and resorts. But due to increasing pressure on its environment, it kept shrinking and its land was no longer suitable for the people. The farming and flora surrounding the lake is over, and the resorts and hotels built along the shore are deserted. The whole area was starting to look like a ghost town.

The story of Urmia's desolation has been associated with war, sanctions and a fierce battle of Iran's domestic politics. But the story of Urmia is also unique because in spite of all the obstacles, it has started giving signs of life once again.



How this desolate Iran's favorite tourist destination?

Urmia boasts Iran's largest marshland and was once one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world. Until recently it was one of the most prominent tourist destinations in Iran. For decades, the people of Iran used to travel ten hours from the capital to this lake in the far northeast of the country.

But now the view of the desolate hotels and abandoned boats on the shores of the lake is visible. Many of these hotels do not even have a drop of water. Due to the lack of water, extensive land of farming, which depends on the feeder rivers of the lake, has also been destroyed. Now the desolate gardens, deserted fields and vacant houses will be seen here. The owners of these houses have now gone elsewhere to seek luck.



The Urmia lake was once spread over five thousand square kilometers, but by the time of 2014-15, it remained only a tenth of it. Now most of the lake has been eaten by ugly red algae. Now another very dangerous problem has arisen and that salt crust has now spread over a large area. Extremely strong winds turn this surface full of salt into a dusty storm. This storm filled with dust and salt can become a threat to people's breath. This is a proof of how the lake, which has been called a tourism paradise in a few years, has now become a threat to the health of the people.

Urmia shrinks due to indiscriminate exploitation of water

The story of Urmia's desolation is long. After the abolition of the monarchy in the 1979 revolution, Iran adopted a policy of self-sufficiency in food grains to protect its new Islamic regime from external pressure. Under the new policy, vineyards (because it made wine) were destroyed. Instead, the water-consuming apple and beetroot cultivation was started. Large dams and irrigation schemes were started for farming. Due to the increase in population, there was also a need to increase new jobs and it is obvious that agriculture could have been the most favorable for employment. Hence the expansion of agricultural land around Urmia has increased fourfold since the 1980s.