The Caspian Sea is 'Drying Up'; Russia has Blocked Rivers Flowing into the Caspian

The head of the Environmental Protection Organization of the Islamic Republic stated: 'The water level of the Caspian Sea is decreasing because neighboring countries have blocked the inflow of their rivers to the sea.' According to ISNA, Ali Salajegheh added: 'Following the closure of the Caspian Sea's inflows by neighboring countries, particularly the Volga River, the water level of this lake is declining.' He emphasized: 'According to some statistics and information, the Caspian Sea has receded by about one meter in the past five years, and if this situation continues, the northern sea of Iran will recede by an average of 20 centimeters annually.' Recently, Kazakh government officials expressed concern about the declining water level of the Caspian Sea, to the extent that the mayor of the port city of Aktau declared a state of emergency in this province of Kazakhstan due to this event and its serious dangers to the maritime industry. Experts say the main reason for the declining water level of the Caspian Sea is the reduction of water inflow from the Ural and Volga rivers. These experts believe factors such as increased water consumption, water storage for power plants, and also lack of rainfall have led Russia to prevent the inflow of water from these rivers into the Caspian Sea. Other countries along the Caspian Sea coastline have also expressed concern about the issue of declining water levels, but no effective measures have been taken in this regard yet. Expressions of despair regarding the revival of Lake Urmia; a member of parliament: there is no hope with 'fantasy plans'. A new study: more than half of the world's lakes are 'drying up.'