Wetlands and lakes in Iran have long faced the threat of drying up. The Caspian Sea (the world’s largest lake) is under water shortage stress, while Lake Urmia, once the world’s largest saltwater lake, is now on the verge of total desiccation.
According to the state-run Khabar Online website, Iran is simultaneously facing two major water crises: Lake Urmia, which experts say is “practically dead” and only a few days away from complete evaporation, and the Caspian Sea, where the alarming decline in water levels poses a serious warning for Iran’s northern coastline.
The report notes that Lake Urmia, once one of the world’s largest salt lakes, now contains only about 100 million cubic meters of saline water spread across roughly 200 square kilometers, with a depth of less than half a meter. Isa Kalantari, former head of Iran’s regime Environmental Protection Organization, described the situation as “catastrophic” and warned that the lake would completely evaporate within 20 days.
Complete Drying of Lake Urmia by the End of Summer Is Certain
Kalantari pointed to excessive dam construction, unsustainable agricultural expansion, and failure to allocate environmental water rights as the main causes of the lake’s destruction. He warned that with the complete drying of Urmia, its 13-billion-ton salt bed would turn into a source of toxic dust, threatening the health of the people of Azerbaijan in terms of respiratory, sanitary, and genetic risks.
Meanwhile, in northern Iran, the Caspian Sea is also in a concerning state. Sergei Shipulin, an official from Russia’s Fisheries and Oceanography Research Institute, announced that the Caspian’s water level has been steadily declining since 2015, and this year it will reach its lowest recorded point in decades. He predicted that by the end of this year, the Caspian water level will drop by 20 to 30 centimeters, and if the trend continues, a one-meter decline by 2030 is likely.
The Russian official also warned that the Caspian littoral states, including Iran, must take measures to adapt to declining water levels, as the southern shores and shallow northern areas are at the greatest risk.
According to experts, the two water bodies that once symbolized life and national pride in Iran now stand on the brink of ecological collapse — the result of decades of neglecting sustainable development, destruction of natural resources, and disregard for environmental priorities.
Continuing warnings about the consequences of Iran’s water crisis, Ghorbanali Mohammadpour, Director-General of the Environmental Protection Department in Alborz Province, announced the unprecedented drying of the Salehiyeh wetland, saying it has now become an active source of dust storms affecting Karaj and even Tehran. He also reported land subsidence in the wetland area and in Mehrshahr, Karaj, stressing that Alborz can no longer sustain water-intensive industries or flood irrigation agriculture. He called for an immediate change in consumption patterns and the implementation of water recycling programs. According to this environmental official, continued neglect of these warnings could intensify environmental, health, and even social crises in one of the most densely populated provinces of the country.
The water crisis in Iran and its impact on people’s lives
The water crisis in Iran has long gone beyond being an environmental issue, becoming a widespread crisis with economic, social, health, and security dimensions. According to official statistics, more than 70% of Iran’s renewable water resources have been consumed or lost, and most of the country’s watersheds face resource deficits. In recent years, this problem has been exacerbated by persistent droughts, rising average annual temperatures, reduced rainfall, and excessive extraction from groundwater resources.
One of the most significant consequences of this crisis is environmental migration. Many families, due to dried wells, farmland loss, and the collapse of their livelihoods, have been forced to abandon villages and small towns. This forced migration has not only placed pressure on urban infrastructure but has also triggered social tensions and increased unemployment rates in the host areas.
Furthermore, the decline in groundwater levels and land subsidence has now become a chronic problem in many plains across Iran, particularly in provinces such as Tehran, Isfahan, Kerman, and Hamedan. This phenomenon poses a serious threat not only to vital infrastructure (such as metro lines, roads, and buildings) but also to food security, since Iranian agriculture is heavily dependent on groundwater resources.
Alongside these issues, the crisis of lakes and wetlands has further deepened the problem. The drying up of lakes such as Hamun, Bakhtegan, Gavkhuni, Maharloo, and now Urmia has not only destroyed biodiversity and local ecosystems but also severely disrupted the lives of millions of people living around these water bodies.
Experts have repeatedly warned in recent years that these crises are so deeply interconnected that they require a fundamental overhaul of Iran’s water policies, sustainable development strategies, and environmental approaches. Otherwise, the country’s future may be tied to dryness, poverty, migration, and social and political instability.
