Crisis management: Crisis of Urmia lakes water and its environmental consequences

Concern about the current unfavorable conditions of Urmia Lake was influenced heavily on applying approaches like environmental, critical geopolitics and, geopolitical-environmental approaches, sustainable development, holding national and international conferences and meetings so that environment has given geopolitical dimension. Urmia Lake in its own normal level was the Iran largest internal and the world s second-largest saltwater lake, habitat of birds, animals and precious aquatic animals like Artemia. It was of utmost importance from different economic, social and environmental perspectives in Iran. This lake is at normal level with over 5000 square kilometers space located between Sharghi and Gharbi Azarbaijans provinces. Urmia Lake is considered as current water receiver and discharger of a set of Iran northwest rivers. In recent decades Urmia Lake water level has shown high volatility and chaotic behavior. Rainfall changes, occurrence of drought and wet years lead to fluctuation in the catchment area of Urmia Lake (Hassan Zadeh et al., 2012). Water, the source of life, is key factor of sustainable development. Water shortage is the main cause of limiting agricultural production, acute and chronic famines in the past and in the present. Today. The geography of global poverty is related to hydrologic geography. Urmia Lake as one of the world s largest hyper saline lakes located in North West of Iran is known as one of the main habitats of Artemia in the world. This lake plays an important role in the north- west environment of Iran. During the past decade, effects of drought and dam construction projects that have taken place at the same time caused more evaporation of lakes water and significant differences in the lake s water level. These events have very critical effects on both the ecological status of the lake and the whole environment of Urmia zone (Zamani, Akbari & maleki, 2000, P.11). Environmental phenomena are among gradual phenomena. It is about 15 years that the drying trend of Urmia Lake has been started. And todays, its water reduction is observable more than ever. In recent years, gradual Urmia Lakes drying up, the greatest internal lake of Iran and20th wide world lake, was intensified and accelerated due to occurrence of drought, annual rainfall reduction, dam construction on Urmia Lakes main rivers situated in their basin, and not observing its water right to the extent that a number of Urmia internal islands have attached to the mainland. Through high volume incoming salt retention, Urmia Lake prevents salt dispersion in surrounding areas. Water level receding leads vast salt marshes to be appear that in result of wind erosion can damage the surrounding areas. Drying of Urmia Lake is not only drying a salt lake. Urmia naught means shuffle of the unique ecosystem condition and the loss of agricultural macro- economic resources, the loss of one of the major habitats of the world biosphere. Therefore, to maintain Urmia Lake, we should use new techniques. Crisis management unit must be formed to be able to use all national and international financial abilities