ID :
205126
Sun, 09/04/2011 - 13:24
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/205126
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Senior MP Rejects Western Reports on Uranium Extraction from Urumiya Lake
TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Iranian legislator on Sunday dismissed some recent western media reports alleging that Iran is drying Urumiya Lake to extract uranium core from the bed of the lake.
"If Iran wanted to extract uranium from the bed of Urumiya Lake, it would not need to dry it up and it could extract uranium from the lake as oil is extracted from sea beds," member of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mohammad Karami Raad told FNA on Sunday.
He described the rumors about the deliberate drying up of Urumiya Lake by the Iranian government as "unfounded and foolish" remarks, and said such allegations are raised by a number of anti-revolutionary and foreign elements to stir insecurity in the country.
Meantime, Karami Raad reiterated that water levels at Urumiya Lake are going down due to little rain and because the region has been experiencing a dry weather condition during the last few years.
Urumiya Lake is a salt lake in Northwestern Iran, near Iran's border with Turkey. The lake is between the Iranian provinces of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan, West of the Southern portion of the similarly shaped Caspian Sea. It is the largest lake in the Middle East and the third largest salt water lake on earth, with a surface area of approximately 5,200 c/km (2,000 c/mile), 140 km (87 miles) length, 55 km (34 miles) width, and 16 m (52 ft) depth.
The Lake is home to some 212 species of birds, 41 reptiles, 7 amphibians, and 27 species of mammals, including the Iranian yellow deer.
The recent drought has significantly decreased the annual amount of water Urumiya receives. This in turn has increased the salinity of Urumiya's water, causing the Lake to lose its significance as home to thousands of migratory birds, such as flamingoes.
"If Iran wanted to extract uranium from the bed of Urumiya Lake, it would not need to dry it up and it could extract uranium from the lake as oil is extracted from sea beds," member of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mohammad Karami Raad told FNA on Sunday.
He described the rumors about the deliberate drying up of Urumiya Lake by the Iranian government as "unfounded and foolish" remarks, and said such allegations are raised by a number of anti-revolutionary and foreign elements to stir insecurity in the country.
Meantime, Karami Raad reiterated that water levels at Urumiya Lake are going down due to little rain and because the region has been experiencing a dry weather condition during the last few years.
Urumiya Lake is a salt lake in Northwestern Iran, near Iran's border with Turkey. The lake is between the Iranian provinces of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan, West of the Southern portion of the similarly shaped Caspian Sea. It is the largest lake in the Middle East and the third largest salt water lake on earth, with a surface area of approximately 5,200 c/km (2,000 c/mile), 140 km (87 miles) length, 55 km (34 miles) width, and 16 m (52 ft) depth.
The Lake is home to some 212 species of birds, 41 reptiles, 7 amphibians, and 27 species of mammals, including the Iranian yellow deer.
The recent drought has significantly decreased the annual amount of water Urumiya receives. This in turn has increased the salinity of Urumiya's water, causing the Lake to lose its significance as home to thousands of migratory birds, such as flamingoes.
