As precipitations increase in recent weeks, the volume of water inflow in dams of Bushehr Province has raised the capacity of reservoirs by 84%, the deputy of water resources protection at Bushehr Regional Water Company said.
“Since the beginning of the current water year [September 2022], 318 million cubic meters of water have entered the five dams in the southern province,” Abdol-Latif Abbasi-Nejad was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
“The figure shows an increase of 160 mcm compared with the same period of last year,” he added.
According to the official, Rais Ali Delvari Dam, as the largest dam in the province, is currently 75% full while this time of last year, it was only 58% full.
“The dam has a capacity of 695 mcm. With 300 mcm of water entering the dam since the beginning of the water year, the amount of water stored behind it has reached 527 mcm,” Abbasi-Nejad said.
“This is while last year, the inflow of water into the dam was 140 mcm during the same period and it had 403 mcm of water then,” he added.
Speaking about the condition of other dams in the province, the official said, “According to the current statistics, 70% of the Khaeiz Dam equivalent to 11 mcm, 100% of the Tang-e Eram Dam equivalent to 4 mcm, 100% of the Arghun Dam equivalent to 1.8 mcm and 75% of the Akhand Dam equivalent to 1.5 mcm are filled now.”
Good Summer for Farmers
In view of the suitable amount of water reserved in the dams, farmers will not have any problems regarding the supply of water needed for irrigation during the summer, the official emphasized.
Pointing out that 20-25% of rainfall enters groundwater resources, he said although continuous rains help strengthen such resources, indiscriminate withdrawals have caused a downward trend in the level of water in the underground aquifers.
“Today, a significant percentage of agricultural lands are equipped with drip irrigation systems, but the lack of modern irrigation systems in some regions has caused an increase in water consumption and puts additional pressure on underground aquifers,” Abbasi-Nejad stressed.
Sealing unauthorized water wells and the installation of smart meters on agricultural wells are among measures taken to help reduce the excessive water extraction from groundwater resources, he added.
“About 4,000 smart water meters have been installed on agricultural water wells in the province while 322 unauthorized wells have been sealed since 2018,” he said, adding that there are about 8,000 unauthorized agricultural wells in the province.
Lacks of Efficient Infrastructure
Bushehr lacks efficient infrastructure to collect and conserve surface runoff after rainstorms. As a result, water penetrates the wastewater collection systems and damages pipes, flooding homes and streets.
As there are not enough dams in the province to collect the surface water after torrential seasonal rains, annually 2.5 billion cubic meters of the runoff pass through cities and villages, and pours into the Persian Gulf, harming farmlands and damaging urban and rural infrastructure on the way.
There are currently two dams under construction, which will help store surface runoff in different parts of the province.
Baghan Dam in Jam County is to be inaugurated soon. With a capacity of 32 mcm, it will supply water to local residents and farmers in Dashti County.
Dasht-e Palang Dam in Dashti County will be launched next year. It can hold 150 mcm of water to be used for drinking, agriculture and industrial use.
Water use in the agriculture, industry and household sectors in this desert region exceeds 1 billion cubic meters per year and is supplied from surface, groundwater and desalination sources.
Annually, 871 million cubic meters of water are used for farming in the province, households consume 114 mcm and 60 mcm are used by industries. The main farm products are wheat, barley, onion, sesame, tomato, eggplant, lemon and dates.
Known as an industrial province, Bushehr is home to major refineries and power plants. The giant South Pars Gas Field is located in Asalouyeh County. The sole nuclear power plant is also located in this province.
