General Manager of Environmental Protection Department of Western Azerbaijan province said: “The Lake Urmia has become source of desertification in Western Azerbaijan”.

Mr. Hassan Abbas Nejad stated: “Lake Urmia is the center of the large desertification in the region and more than 450 thousand hectares of its surface has become salt desert during last years”. He continued, Salinization of groundwater is one of the main consequences of climate changes in the region of Lake Urmia and it will also be intensified in this region. He emphasized that “lack of access to accurate statistics is one the main problems of region and country and this matter is a planning weaknesses”.

Lake Urmia, second largest salt lake in the world, in South Azerbaijan (north western Iran) has dried largely during the last years. Experts say billons tons of salt will destroy the human and wild life in region being spread by wind and millions will be forced to displace. Many blame Iranian government of carelessness against the major environmental disaster. Even some people accuse Iranian state to left the lake to be dried intentionally.

South Azerbaijan is a ethnically problematic region in Iran which Iran spends efforts to hold the nationalist tendency of region under control.

Azerbaijani Turks are second largest ethnic group in Iran with a slight difference after Persians.