TEHRAN – Chairman of the Lake Urmia Revival Committee says that “now about five to six percent of the lake’s area has water”, noting that decrease in water level has been eight centimeters more than before.

“This has occurred as a result of decrease in precipitations on one hand and increase in evaporations on the other hand due to high temperature in the area,” the Hamshahri newspaper quoted Isa Kalantari as saying.

The lake will be restored when it has 15 billion cubic meter water, Kalantari told reporters, adding there is currently about 1.6 billion cubic meters water in the lake.

“We are planning to increase the current amount to 14.5 billion cubic meters by the next five years and guarantee the lake’s restoration by having it receiving 3.1 billion every year,” he added, the newspaper reported on Thursday.

He said that the Energy Ministry is liable to annually supply 2.576 billion cubic meters water to Lake Urmia, adding the amount has been less than one billion in the past.

Kalantari, who served as minister of agriculture in both terms of Rafsanjani's presidency and first term of President Mohammad Khatami, also said that one of the steps that the committee under his leadership is planning to undertake is to reduce agricultural water by 40 percent.

“Actually this is the same amount which is now being wasted in the agriculture,” he said.

By 40 percent reduction in agricultural consumption, it will be possible to save 1.2 billion cubic meters in five years which means about 240 million cubic meters water will enter into the lake every year, Kalantari explained.

PT/P