ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
This file photo shows an abandoned ship stuck in the dried salt field of Lake Urmia, the Middle East’s largest saltwater lake. AFP photo
The shrinking of Iran’s largest saltwater lake is an “environmental issue” but some people are seeking to politicize the matter, Iranian media quoted the vice president for environmental affairs as saying Monday.
The statement comes after Iranian officials said 60 people had been detained following protests that called for the government to save the lake in the country’s northwest.
“Some want to exploit the situation, politicize it and mount a social campaign,” said Mohammad Javad Mohammadi-Zadeh, who is also head of Iran’s Environmental Protection Organization, Agence France-Presse reported.
Lake Urmia, the Middle East’s largest saltwater lake, has shrunk by half over the past two decades due to drought and dam construction on the rivers that feed it.
Gatherings in the cities of Urmia and Tabriz last week turned violent, according to official and opposition websites, prompting police to confront the protesters. Officials quoted by the official Fars news agency said that about 200 people took part in protests in Urmia on Saturday and at least 60 were arrested, BBC website reported.
Mohammadi-Zadeh said Sunday that the government was ready to finance a plan that envisions “resolving the lake’s problems in a five-year project.”
(Source: www.hurriyetdailynews.com )