A total of 352 water and wastewater projects are underway in Hormozgan Province, on which more than $70 million have been spent so far, the managing director of the provincial Water and Wastewater Company said.
“The ongoing projects include 252 water projects in the rural regions, 94 in the urban areas and six wastewater projects that will be completed with about $200 million of credit,” Abdolhamid Hamzehpour was also quoted as saying by the Energy Ministry’s news portal.
“Currently, over 95% of the population of the southern province are provided with piped water,” he added.
Referring to the desalination capacity of Hormozgan, Hamzehpour said the province is a pioneer in desalination, such that desalinated seawater accounts for around 47% of the province's drinking water supply.
According to the official, 42 water desalination units are operating in the province, about half of the total 85 desalination units in Iran, with a capacity of about 230,000 cubic meters per day.
“An additional 10 desalination facilities are under construction in Hormozgan. When completed in two years, they will raise the total desalination capacity by 34,000 cubic meters per day,” he said.
“Due to the drought and decline in rainfall in Hormozgan, desalination is one of the best solutions to address its water issues.”
Hormozgan has a population of 1.6 million, of which 1.3 million are covered by the provincial water company. It is a dry province with low rainfall and suffers from a chronic water shortage.
Water Deficit
To help address the water deficit where underground resources are drying up fast, producing water from saline water sources is unavoidable.
Villages in the area have been abandoned and the expansion of water desalination infrastructure can help curb migration and contribute to sustainable rural development in the dry regions.
Experts say the fledgling domestic desalination industry should be able to meet the potable water demand of Iran’s Persian Gulf littoral provinces.
Tapping into the sea to produce clean water is high on the Energy Ministry’s agenda, as it is seen as more viable for ensuring sustainable supplies rather than depleting the fast-dwindling underground water tables, most of which are drying up.
Iran's annual water consumption is about 100 billion cubic meters, of which less than 200 million cubic meters are produced by desalination plants in coastal provinces, namely Khuzestan, Hormozgan and Bushehr.
Approximately 142 million cubic meters of seawater are desalinated daily around the globe. However, Iran's share is as little as 500,000 cubic meters per day.
Referring to the wastewater collection network in Hormozgan, Hamzehpour said six cities, namely Banda Abbas, Roudan, Daragahan, Minab, Hormoz and Aboumousa, have a sewage system and with the completion of the ongoing projects, the grid will cover more small towns and villages in the southern province.
