Mukhtar Babayev: Hundreds of thousands of people moving to cities due to drying of Lake Urmia

In Iran, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to relocate to other cities because of the drying up of Lake Urmia, COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev said on the third day of Baku Climate Action Week (BCAW2025).

According to him, the loss of bodies of water such as lakes and seas forces residents not to remain in villages but to move to cities, which leads to overpopulation:

"Millions of people have moved to cities due to job loss. More than 80% of the Aral Sea - once the largest lake between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan - has dried up. Most residents also relocated to cities. This shows that the negative impact of climate change directly causes migration, and this is a serious problem."

Babayev noted that hundreds of thousands of people also migrate during floods:

"Even after the restoration of affected areas, people rarely return, as they have already adapted to their new lives. Cities are expanding, but the level of services provided to the population does not improve."