Rahimi Inaugurates Project To Transfer Aras Water To Orumiyeh Lake

Jolfa, E. Azarbaijan prov, July 28, IRNA – First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi who is in East Azarbaijan to inaugurate several development projects opened the project to transfer Aras water to northeast Orumiyeh Lake on Saturday. Rahimi inaugurated over ten development projects in Kordestan province on Friday on his two-day visit to the province. Rahimi arrived in Aras-Jolfa Free Trade Zone later in the day to inaugurate the project to transfer Aras River water to Orumiyeh Lake. The project aims to provide potable water to 22 cities and 286 villages and improve the level of water in Orumiyeh Lake. Energy Minster Majid Namjou and Road and Urban Development Minister Ali Nikzad are accompanying Rahimi. The project was part of the efforts to save Orumiyeh Lake which is on the verge of drying up. Located in northwestern Iran, Orumiyeh Lake is the largest lake in the Middle East and the third-largest salt lake on earth. It has more than 100 rocky islands, which add to its beauty and mystical allurement. Orumiyeh Lake is not short of minerals either and, like the Dead Sea, its soil, minerals and salts are used to cure various ailments such as rheumatism, and dermatological and stress-related problems./end