The Problem Recognition and Policy Evaluation of Urmia Lake Restoration Program

The problem of drying Lake Urmia is one of the most important water and environmental problem in Iran. Due to the deteriorating conditions of the lake, in 2013, an organization called "the Urmia Lake Restoration Program" (ULRP) was formed at the highest level of government in Iran, whose policies and actions played the most important role in the situation of Lake Urmia. So, it is necessary to evaluate the policies adopted by this organization in recent years to improve the process of restoration of the lake. The purpose of this paper is to examine the problem from the perspective of ULRP as the first step in evaluating the organization's policies. This research is by descriptive-analytical method and using the concept of "problem" and the actions taken by ULRP analyzes and evaluates the views of this organization on the problem of the dryness of the Lake. By examining the views of this program, it is clear that the knowledge of this organization on the problem of drought in Lake Urmia is mainly technical and other important issues such as socio-political issues do not matter much in the knowledge of this organization about the drying of Lake Urmia. Since it is necessary to examine the interaction of all related problems in order to deal with water problem properly,ULRP must enhance its knowledge of the problem based on holistic approach so that it can adopt a policy and therefore take more appropriate actions to deal with Lake Urmia problems.