Tehran Times - The vice presidency for science and technology will take measures in accordance with Lake Urmia restoration utilizing technology advances, IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday.

Technology development council of water, drought, erosion and environment affiliated to the vice presidency for science and technology has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Lake Urmia research center to enhance cooperation in using latest technology achievements to conserve the invaluable natural heritage.

As per the MOU, the vice presidency for science and technology is supposed to suggest technology-based policies and plans in order to efficiently revive the lake.

Shared between West Azarbaijan and East Azarbaijan provinces in northwestern Iran, Lake Urmia, was once the largest salt-water lake in the Middle East. However, decades of long-standing drought spells and elevated hot summer temperatures that speed up evaporation as well as increased water demands in agriculture sector shrank the lake drastically.

In 1999 the volume of water which was at 30 billion cubic meters drastically decreased to half a billion cubic meters in 2013. Moreover, the lake surface area of 5,000 square kilometers in 1997 shrunk to one tenth of that to 500 square kilometers in 2013.

Kiumars Daneshjoo, CEO of West Azarbaijan regional water company said in late April that subsequent to heavy rainfalls in the country, the volume of water in the Lake Urmia has increased to 4.1 billion cubic meters which shows a 2-fold increase compared to the same period last year.