News Environment More than half of the world’s largest lakes are drying up Lake loss is a big problem for people who rely on that water for drinking and irrigation Lake Urmia in Iran was once the world’s second largest salt lake, but since 1998 its area has shriveled by more than 90 percent. Pavliha/iStock/Getty Images Plus Share this:EmailFacebookTwitterPinterestPocketRedditPrint By Nikk Ogasa May 18, 2023 at 2:00 pm More than half of the world’s largest lakes shrank over the last three decades, researchers report in the May 19 Science. That’s a big problem for the people who depend on those lakes for drinking water and irrigation.