Pipe-laying work to divert water from Talvar Dam in Kurdestan Province to regions in Hamedan is complete and the long-awaited plant will be inaugurated soon, managing director of Hamedan Province Regional Water Company said.
“Close to 145 km of pipelines are in place, through which 50 million liters of water per day will be transferred to Shahid Beheshti water treatment facility in the western province,” Mohammad Zarouri was also quoted as saying by the Energy Today website.
Three stations at an altitude of 600 meters have started to pump water to the region and as soon as tests are completed successfully, the residents will get piped water, he added.
“The water was supposed to be transferred to a new treatment plant, but since it is not ready yet, it has to be treated at an alternative facility for at least three months.”
The initiative, which started 15 years ago, will help meet potable water needs of the western region of Hamedan. Worsening drought and declining rainfall over the years have reduced the province's water resources and created problems in supplying drinking water in 12 cities and 160 villages.
“Earlier this year, Abshineh Dam dried up and now Ekbatan Dam is destined for the same. As such, providing alternative resources is on the agenda of the provincial water authority,” Zarouri said.
Ekbatan Dam, the most important dam in Hamedan Province, has a capacity of 36 million cubic meters, but now it has less than 2 mcm, he warned.
He said the project also includes the installation of water storage tanks, pumping stations and other facilities, which is being carried out by a contractor.
Constructed on Talvar River, its dam is located near Bijar City in Kurdestan. It has a capacity of 500 mcm of water and is used for farming nearly 7,500 hectares of downstream and upstream plains in Kurdestan. Currently, the dam holds 130 mcm of water.
Over $33 million have been invested by private companies in the water projects of Hamedan Province.
These include Green and Khorramroud dams as well as Sarabi water treatment plant that are in different stages of construction.
With a capacity of 10 million cubic meters of water, Green Dam is one of the most important and vital projects of Nahavand and will have a positive effect on supplying water for drinking and farming.
Khorramroud Dam in Touyserkan County is built on a namesake river and is expected to be completed by next March.
With an estimated capacity of 8 million cubic meters, the dam will supply drinking water to 40 villages, farms and industries.
A water treatment plant is under construction in Touyserkan County and the water supply from Sarabi Dam is in the final stages.
Touyserkan is located about 100 km south of Hamedan in western Iran. It is famous for walnuts and other agricultural products, such as wheat, barley, potatoes, apples, plums, peaches and pears.
Grape Producer
Hamedan is Iran’s fifth biggest grape producer after Fars, Qazvin, Khorasan Razavi and West Azarbaijan.
Due to a chronic shortage of surface water, farmers in the province resort to groundwater from illegally-dug deep wells. The government has started sealing unauthorized wells to conserve the rapidly depleting resource and discourage the harmful practice of digging and using illegal wells.
The construction of dams is aimed at conserving the fertile region's water resources and help feed farmlands.
Iran has a disproportionate spatial distribution of rainfall, as a major portion of the rain usually falls in a short period and in certain regions. Reservoirs help collect the rainwater to be used during the rest of the year.
Hamedan, the capital of the namesake province, and Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdestan Province, are among Iranian cities dealing with water issues for years.
“At present, the water resources of Hamedan City are divided into three parts: 80% of the water needs of the city are met by Ekbatan Dam, 5% from wells and 15% by seasonal rivers and springs.”
Emphasizing that the largest portion of water in Hamedan is supplied by Ekbatan Dam, the official said, “Unfortunately, due to the decline in rainfall in the past year, the volume of water stored in the dam has declined to 2 million cubic meters while the figure was 17 mcm this time of last year.”
According to reports, rainfall in Hamedan has reduced by 29% compared to last year.
One anxiety in water management in Iran is the pattern of dwindling groundwater resources, and a key step taken in this regard is the unending fight against unauthorized water wells.
Managing Director of Hamedan Regional Water Company Mansour Sotoudeh says that of the 7,300 illegal wells in the province, 3,850 have been sealed in the past five years.
“The sealing of wells has helped save 268 million cubic meters of water,” he added.
