Thousands of peaceful protesters gathered today  in some of major cities of South Azerbaijan including Tabriz and Urmia calling upon the  central government to act immediately to save  the disappearing  lake Urmia.






Hundreds of helmeted and cripplingly equipped riot police blocked the major intersections in Tabriz, Urmiya and Khoy and harshly dispersed the peaceful protesters. 

It is reported that some demonstrators were injured during the police crack down on Azerbaijani environmentalists and as many as 30 protesters have been detained.

The Lake Urmia, once the world`s largest salt lake, is  just about to completely dry up  as a direct result of Iranian government’s erroneous policy to construct more than hundred dams and reservoirs which have entirely blocked water flow to the lake.

According to the environmental experts, the disappearance of the Urmia lake will cause salt tsunamis, extinguish natural habitats and will make the region inhabitable for humans and other mammals.

Many experts believe the Iranian government is deliberately interfering with the ecosystem in the troubled South Azerbaijan in order to force Azerbaijanis’ mass migration to other parts of Iran.