A major water supply project in Tabriz, East Azarbaijan Province, dubbed Tabriz Water Ring, has registered 80% progress and could be launched by the end of the current Iranian year (March 2023) to help solve a significant part of the problem of fair distribution of water in the metropolis, the managing director of East Azarbaijan Water and Wastewater Company said.
The project is to connect all the water facilities in the northwestern city and ensure stable water supply in the provincial capital, the Energy Ministry’s news portal Paven also quoted Mohammad Khani as saying.
“Tabriz water is supplied by three sources. About 55% of the water used in the city come from Zarrineh River, 14% from Nahand Dam and the rest from 115 wells on the northern slopes of the Sahand mountain range,” he said, adding that each of these sources supply the water needs of a certain part of Tabriz.
“In case anything happens at any of these facilities, it will not be possible to supply water to regions it supports from other sources,” he added.
Upon the completion of the project, if any of the water supply facilities stop working, other sources will act as a backup source.
With a length of 26 km, Tabriz Water Ring covers 80% of the city. So far, over $15 million have been spent on the project.
“When the project becomes operational, 80% of urban areas will get access to sustainable water supply,” Khani said.
The water issues of the remaining 20% will be solved with the help of the water project from the Aras River in the northwest, which is currently underway, he added.
Aras River Water Transfer
The length of water pipeline from Aras River to Tabriz is 245 kilometers, of which over 135 km have been completed.
When completed, the pipeline will supply water to 3.5 million people in 22 cities and 16 villages in and around Tabriz.
East Azarbaijan's share of water from Aras River amounts to 282 million cubic meters a year, of which 180 mcm will be used for farming and industries, and the rest as potable water.
The agriculture sector in East Azarbaijan has a 12% share in Iran’s gross domestic product, 20% share in employment and an 80% share in meeting food demand.
The province is home to 1.22 million hectares of farms. Raisins, dairy products, tomato paste, apple juice, onions, lettuce and cabbage are the main agricultural products of the province.
Originating in Turkey, Aras flows eastward and forms international marine boundaries between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan to the north and Turkey and Iran in the south. After about 1,070 km, it joins the Kura River in Azerbaijan before reaching the Caspian Sea.
Iran is situated in an arid and semi-arid region, and average precipitation rate has fallen to levels way below the global average while underground water resources are drying up rapidly.
The average annual rainfall in the world is 750 millimeters, but the figure is 250 mm in Iran, which is one-third the global average.
