TEHRAN – Actor Reza Kianian has announced his support for the recently-launched campaign to save and restore Lake Urmia from environmental ruin.

A number of environmental activists has launched the campaign “I Am Lake Urmia” to draw the world’s attention to Lake Urmia in north-western Iran, which was once the largest salt-water lake in the Middle East.

Kianian is one of the first individuals to join the campaign and has also called upon people to help save the lake, which has been in a critical condition for some years now.

“If we can collect one million signatures, the world will help restore this lake with modern technology and investment,” he said in a radio program broadcasted on Tuesday morning.

“Incorrect policies, recent increases in agricultural water withdrawals, and drought have disturbed the balance and Lake Urmia is drying up. Perhaps in the next 20 years, drought will completely embrace Iran. To avoid this, a campaign has been launched to collect one million signatures to hand it over to the United Nations.

“This campaign will help draw the world’s attention to this catastrophe and also show the solidarity of people,” he added.

He continued, “During the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war (known as Sacred Defense in Iran), we fought, defended and saved our country. And today, it is no different: all the wrong policies have let drought capture our land.

“If Lake Urmia dries up, salt storms will ruin agriculture and migration will begin, but we can help. I ask people to do a simple thing: to send an SMS, that is, to send the number 1 to this number 30007040,” Kianian asked people.

“We can ask the UN with our hands held high that our people want their lake to be restored. I ask the people of Iran to join this campaign,” he concluded.

A number of artists and athletes have announced their full support and 200,000 signatures have so far been collected.

RM/YAW