To help enhance the quality of potable water in Miyaneh County, East Azarbaijan Province, President Ebrahim Raisi inaugurated three long-awaited water supply initiatives in the region on Friday.
“One of the major projects in the eastern province, the Germi-Chai venture was implemented in 20 years at a cost of $100 million, which is expected to improve the quality of drinking water and alleviate water shortage in the city of Miyaneh and 20 other rural districts with a total population of 120,000 people,” Majid Amiri, manager of the project, was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
With a capacity of 21 million cubic meters, the reservoir could supply water to the county for the next 50 years and will help end water extraction from underground resources in the region which are the main sources of providing the people in the region with drinking water, he added.
Close to 1 mcm of water are used in the area per month, a large part of which was extracted from depleting ground tables prior to the completion of the dam and a water treatment facility in the region.
Commenting on the second and third plans, he noted that Miyaneh water treatment plant and a 50-km water transmission line also became operational on the same day.
The treatment plant, completed at an estimated cost of $10 million, can process 500 liters of water per second.
The president also inaugurated several power projects worth $20 million in the province.
Dispatching Center
Giving a breakdown, Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian noted that the initiatives entailed opening a new dispatching center with a capacity to monitor 72 substations, supplying electricity to 14 villages and setting up 126 small-scale photovoltaic power stations.
According to Mohammad Khani, the managing director of East Azarbaijan Water and Wastewater Company, a major water supply project in Tabriz, dubbed Tabriz Water Ring, has registered 80% progress and could be launched by the end of the current Iranian year (March 2024) to help solve a significant part of the problem of fair distribution of water in the metropolis.
The project is to connect all the water facilities in the northwestern city and ensure stable water supply in the provincial capital.
“Water is supplied to Tabriz 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.
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.
Aras River
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.
Notably, East Azarbaijan is home to 30 steel production units and has annual steel exports of over $100 million. It produces 5.5 million tons of steel per year and has a 24% share in Iran’s total steel output.
The city of Tabriz, the capital of East Azarbaijan Province is Iran’s chocolate and biscuit production hub. About half of Iran’s biscuits and chocolates is produced in this northeastern city.
