Araz News:An Iranian MP has criticized a controversial proposal on transferring water from the Caspian Sea to the drought-hit Semnan Province, warning about the catastrophic consequences of the long awaited plan.

MP Qasem Ahmadlashaki for Nowshahr City has expressed concerns over the proposal, saying the country’s northern coastal area may turn into a desert following the implementation of the plan, Tasnim news agency reported.

He added that the plan on transferring water from the largest enclosed inland body of water on Earth would leave serious impacts on the lives of about nine million people living in the region.

The plan was first introduced in 2012 but the critics of the proposal have argued that pumping water from the sea will eventually lead to an increase in the Caspian Sea’s salinity, endangering the countless habitats it supports.

By-Khalid Kazimov