On 20th of August , Azershehr (Tufargan) and Üskü (Üçkaya) cities parliament member Zehra Sai addressed the parliament and criticized state officials for neglecting the Urmia Lake crisis.

Parliamentary news agency reported that lawmakers wanted the authorities of the country to look at the Urmia Lake crisis as a national problem.

Sai; “Many projects have decided to revitalize Urmia Lake. Some of these ideas were not realized and others were abandoned in the first phase of the program. Almost all projects under implementation lack budget funds. Nonetheless, nobody is taking responsibility for these problems and treat it as though they are not interested in any serious consequences of the crisis. ”

“If the water problem of Hürremşehr was in Tehran or if Urmia Lake was near Tehran, the problem would turn into a national issue,” Zehra Sai said. “Urmia Lake is causing many social problems. Drought of the lake and change the ecosystem will cause dust and salt particles to spread to the area. As a result, people in small towns and villages are starting to migrate. The unexpected waves of migration in Tabriz and Urmia cities create drug addiction, poverty, immorality, settlement in informal urban areas and other problems. ”

There is a crisis of Lake Urmia in Southern Azerbaijan is going on for many years. At the moment, 95 percent of the lake has dried up, but no steps to rescue has been taken by the Iranian regime, and the crisis continues.