Leonardo DiCaprio calls for action in Urmia

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – A lawmaker in the Iranian Kurdish city of Urmia invited an Oscar-winning actor to visit the Urmia Lake.

Hadi Bahadury, a member of the Iranian Consultative Assembly representing the city of Urmia, invited American actor Leonardo DiCaprio to visit the lake that is under threat of drying up.

The Hollywood star posted an Instagram photo of the Urmia Lake and demonstrated his concerns regarding the threats the lake faces. This post encouraged the Iranian lawmaker to invite DiCaprio to view the lake in person.

The Kurdish representative, Bahadury, thanked DiCaprio for his solidarity. “I hope this social work leads to more people around the world being encouraged to do something on the situation of the Urmia Lake,” Bahadury said.

“Every action and any similar social activity to draw the attention of the international community is highly welcomed,” Bahadury added.

In his Instagram post, DiCaprio wrote, “A dilapidated ship dock remains on dried up Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran.”

“It used to be the biggest salt lake in the Middle East, but it now contains [5] percent of the amount of water it did two decades ago due to climate change, dam construction and decrease in precipitation,” he added.

Lake Urmia is an endorheic salt lake in Iranian Kurdistan, northwest Iran. According to the environmentalists and Iranian government officials, the country’s most famous lake has shrunk by nearly 93 percent since the 1970s, and only 7 percent of it has remained.

Reporting by Baxtiyar Goran
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany