To help supply potable water to residents in the small towns of the southern Bushehr Province, the first phase of a 36,000-cubic meter desalination plant is set to become operational, the project’s manager said.
“The facility can now process 12,000 cubic meters of seawater per day, but the capacity will triple in the second phase that is expected to go on stream in 2023,” Hossein Bahari was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
Built by the engineering and energy enterprise MAPNA Group in the form of a BOO (build–own–operate) contract, the initiative was completed in three years, he added.
According to the official, three other plants, namely Borazjan, Vahdatiyeh and Siraf, with a total capacity of 60,000 cubic meters per day are in different stages of construction and expected to become operational by March 2023.
“Currently, 10% of the drinking water required in Bushehr Province are supplied by desalination plants and the new plant will increase it to 40%,” he said.
“At present, three desalination units with a capacity of processing 35,000 cubic meters of saline water per day are operating in the region, which shows that saline water processing capacity has increased by 25,000 cm/d [from 10,000 cm/d in 2017 to 35,000 cm/d at present] in the region in the last three years.”
Located in southwestern Iran, the arid province is one of the most water-stressed regions. The conditions in the province are so bad that water authorities have to dispatch water tankers to several areas (especially in the summer).
Bushehr is located along the Persian Gulf coastline. However, due to a lack of desalination plants, 65% of Bushehr’s water are supplied by neighboring provinces, such as Kohgilouyeh-Boyerahmad, through rusty pipes laid 25 years ago, because of which around 40% of water are wasted.
Groundwater Overdraft
Some regions in the province get less than 50 mm of rainfall per year. Groundwater overdraft, more than 80% of which are used in the agricultural sector, adds to the steep decline in groundwater levels.
The agricultural, industrial and household sectors in the province are supplied with at least 800 million cubic meters of water per annum, of which 700 mcm are used for farming.
Water is supplied from surface, groundwater and desalination sources. The main agricultural products in the province include wheat, barley, onions, sesame, tomatoes, eggplants, lemons and dates.
Known as an industrial region, Bushehr is home to major refineries and power plants. The giant South Pars Gas Field is located in the province’s Asalouyeh County.
Iran’s sole nuclear power plant is also located in this province. The water needed for the nuclear facility is supplied from the Persian Gulf, which is not included in data provided by the provincial water company.
Conventional water resources such as rainwater or river runoff are not adequate to meet growing demand. As groundwater resources are drying up, the rise in desalination capacity will help address the water shortage in the southern province.
To tackle the water crisis, desalination has emerged as a solution in many countries. In the coastal regions where saltwater resources are in abundance, large and semi-large desalination facilities are being built.
In Iran, too, tapping into the sea is on the Energy Ministry’s agenda because it is more viable for maintaining a sustainable supply rather than depleting the fast-dwindling underground resources, most of which are on the verge of disappearing.
According to reports, the National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company of Iran is completing several desalination units in southern areas.
Iran’s northern and southern provinces have 2,700 kilometers of marine borders, which give them huge potential for expanding desalination. Investment in desalination infrastructure will create jobs and help curtail water withdrawal from depleting underground resources.
Authorities in the province as usual dread the onset of the summer and the water problems they routinely face during the sizzling months when the mercury rises to nearly 45 degrees Centigrade.
Meteorologists say four decades of satellite data confirm that due to manmade global warming, summers are getting hotter, making access to safe drinking water more difficult.
Baghan Dam
According to the Oil Ministry’s news portal Shana, the construction of Baghan Dam in Jam County in the province has registered 87% progress and is expected to be completed by March 2023 at a cost of $35 million.
Executive operations were started by the Energy Ministry in 2014 to help ease water tension in the southwestern province, especially in its Jam and Dashti counties.
Fajr Jam Gas Refining Company has been contributing to the construction project since 2017, in line with its social responsibility, with an investment of about $10 million.
A roller concrete dam, it will have a capacity of 32 million cubic meters of water that will be supplied to Jam and Dashti counties through a 27-kilometer water transmission line.
About 2.1 mcm of Baghan Dam water will be used in the household sector, 6 mcm will be allocated to industries and 5 mcm will go to farms.
Due to its mild and cool climate, Jam is considered the center of citrus production in Bushehr Province. Over 1,400 hectares are producing limes, oranges, tangerines and sweet lemons.
The county’s other products include pomegranates, olives, figs, tomatoes and dates.
Baghan Dan will help irrigate around 700 hectares of farmlands in the region. After the launch of the dam, wells that have been dug by farmers and industries will be sealed.
Jam is the only county in Bushehr Province whose water needs in the drinking, agricultural and industrial sectors are met from groundwater resources. However, successive years of drought and excessive water extraction from wells by farmers and industries have reduced its groundwater levels.
To help address the problem, the authorities in the region planned the construction of Baghan Dam on the namesake river, as it is the only freshwater river in Bushehr Province.
In addition to providing water for households, industries and farms, the dam can help control seasonal floods and reduce possible damages.
The creation of new jobs in the field of agriculture and related industries, prevention of rural-to-urban migration and protection of water resources are among other benefits of the dam’s construction.
