Iran (IMNA) - On Saturday, officials announced that the 36-kilometer tunnel connecting the Little Zab River to Lake Urmia had begun operation, with a partial flow of water from Kani Sib Dam to the lake.
Iran has invested $200 million on the Zab tunnel project, which will allow for the yearly transport of 600 million cubic meters of water to Lake Urmia once finished.
The Iranian Energy Ministry is also making all-out-effort to complete two other projects so that sewage treatment facilities in the major cities of Tabriz and Urmia will transport almost 200 million cubic meters of water annually to the lake.
According to experts, Lake Urmia would need to take the 3.4 billion cubic meters of water it needs to achieve ecologically viable levels over the course of around five years.
Iran has planned a total of 19 projects as part of its effort to restore Lake Urmia.
Contractors announced on Saturday that the first phase of the Zab tunnel project will be completed soon and that top government officials will attend a ceremony to mark the occasion.
According to the UN Environment Programme, it has been getting smaller since 1995 as a result of a combination of increasing temperatures, prolonged drought, building dams, and overfarming.
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