Lake Urmia was once one of the biggest saltwater lakes in the world

Water loss also exposes the lake’s salt, which visitors to the lake like to cover themselves with, but which also gets kicked up by windstorms, causing injury to people and to crops.

The lake, named following the Iranian Revolution for the provincial capital city of Urmia, which means “puddle of water,” shows signs of recovery. The Iranian government along with international organizations like UNESCO and WHO have made efforts to rein in illegal wells and improve the irrigation techniques of surrounding farms. Seasonal rains in the later months of the year provide some relief to the lake, but are not a permanent solution.