In order to alleviate water stress in Isfahan Province, the project to transfer water from the Sea of Oman to the tourist province is in its preliminary stages, Isfahan’s governor general said.
“The water pipeline, with a length of over 920 kilometers, is set to start from Sirik County, Hormozgan Province, in southern Iran and end in the central province,” Seyyed Reza Mortazavi was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
“The executive operations of the project launched last September are now underway in 20 workshops in different regions and provinces along the route of the project,” he added.
According to Mortazavi, when the first phase is complete, about 200 million cubic meters of water will be transferred annually from the sea to the center of the country, which figure will rise to 400 mcm per year upon the project’s completion in about two years.
The desalinated water will be used in the industries and mines of the province that have limited access to underground water resources.
Climate change and global warming have resulted in rising temperatures across continents and summers in Iran compared to a quarter century ago.
Continuous drought and decline in precipitation have resulted in the drastic reduction of water in Zayandehroud Dam in Isfahan, which is the main source of water for drinking, agriculture and industrial sectors to the famous tourist city of Isfahan.
The capacity of Zayandehroud Dam is 1.4 billion cubic meters, while it currently holds only 149 million cubic meters of water, which means it is only about 10% full.
The dam provides drinking water for more than 5 million people in the central province, for agriculture alongside Zayandehroud river and to heavy industries in the central areas of Isfahan.
Water for Farmers
However, the river has been dry for about eight months until Feb. 11 when the dam’s gates were opened and flowed into the Zayandehroud river to let farmers use it for 10 days before the gates are closed again.
In the not-too-distant past, Zayandehroud had a regular and significant water flow, but is almost dry for more than eight months a year to the detriment of farmers who are largely dependent on the river for their livelihood.
Once the pride of the region, Zayandehroud originates in the mountains of Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Province and flows eastward toward Isfahan before ending up in the famous Gavkhouni Wetland.
As Zayandehroud is drying up, only 4% of the surface of Gavkhouni Wetland are covered by water. The wetland stretches over 47,000 hectares and its water rights include 176 million cubic meters of water from Zayandehroud annually. For all practical purposes, this right has been violated.
Gavkhouni, which is home to a variety of species of migratory birds, has been struggling with declining water levels over the past decade. Once a popular destination for migratory birds, typically at the beginning of winter, recent surveys show the numbers coming to the wetland have declined significantly.
The number of migratory birds in the wetland has decreased below 2,000 and the continuation of such conditions will threaten the survival of more birds.
In addition, the drying up of the wetland has worsened dust storms that thrash Isfahan and seven other provinces.
Disorganized urbanization, obsolete farming practices and the presence of water-intensive industries are adding pressure on the region’s rapidly dwindling water reserves.
Groundwater resources in the parched province are shrinking by a massive 3.6 billion cubic meters per annum. Of the total annual extraction, 3.3 bcm are used by 41,000 authorized wells and the rest from 21,000 illegal wells.
Referring to another project, which has already started, to help ease water stress, Isfahan’s governor general said the project includes the supply of 560 million cubic meters of water from the water resources of southern Isfahan.
Mortazavi did not elaborate but emphasized that the project needs to be supported by the Energy Ministry so that water can reach the targeted destination soon.
