The water transfer project from Kouchari Dam in Isfahan Province to Saveh County in Markazi Province will resume from June 21 after a one-year hiatus, the representative of Saveh and Zarandieh counties in the parliament said on Tuesday.
“So far, 35 km of transmission lines have been laid and another 95 km of pipelines need to be installed,” Mohammad Sabzi was also quoted as saying by ISNA.
The project is expected to be completed in 18 months at about $20 million, half of which has been allocated by the Energy Ministry.
“If all the required funds are allocated, the project could be completed even sooner,” he added.
Referring to the water tension in Saveh, he said, “Saveh and Zarandieh have very little rainfall and if the water transfer project is delayed, we may have problem supplying water even for drinking purposes.”
Kouchari Dam is located eight kilometers southwest of Golpayegan County.
When launched, the water supply project from the dam to Saveh and villages along the way will transfer 440 liters of water per second to 300,000 people, of which 335 liters per second will be the share of Saveh City, 65 liters per second will go to villages, and 40 liters per second will be allocated to industries.
In other words, the project will transfer 14 million cubic meters of water per year, when completed.
With a capacity to hold 207 million cubic meters of water, Kouchari Dam was constructed in 2016. It supplies water to several cities in the provinces of Isfahan, Qom and Markazi, including Delijan, Saveh, Qom, Khansar, Khomein, Golpayegan, Mahallat and Salafchegan.
Water to Saveh is currently supplied by the Al-Ghadir Dam and 29 wells, the quality of which is not suitable for drinking.
Saveh is 100 kilometers southwest of Tehran. It is a major producer of wheat and cotton, and well known for pomegranates and melons. Kaveh Industrial City, the largest industrial city in Iran, is also located there.
Dry Province
Located in a dry arid region with below minimum precipitation like many other parts of the country, Markazi Province has been struggling with severe drought and water deficits for years.
Lack of rainfall in the current water year (started September 2022) compared to the previous year has caused a decline in the level of water in dams and groundwater resources of Markazi, indicating that the province is facing a dry year.
The precipitation this year has been about 20% less than last year and so far only 180 mm of rain have been recorded in the province.
Groundwater resources are a major source of water supply in the province, though their level decreases by about 1.5 meters every year.
Rapidly declining water resources have compelled the government to increase the number of plains from which water withdrawal is banned from 69 in 1968 to 405 at present. There are 25 proscribed plains in Markazi Province.
Of the total 3 billion cubic meters of renewable water in the province, 91% are used for farming, 5% for drinking and 4% by industries.
Surface water comprises 700 mcm of renewable water and 2.3 bcm are extracted from groundwater resources.
Over 90% of water in the dam are consumed in the agriculture sector and the rest is used in the drinking sector. However, 70% of the water used in the farms are wasted due to their old, inefficient farming practices and dilapidated facilities.
Reducing water consumption in the agro sector and increasing efficiency using drip irrigation are measures taken by the provincial water managers.
Drip irrigation is one of the efficient systems used across the world. Instead of wetting the whole field, water is applied only to the plant root. The primary goal of drip irrigation is to supply water when plants need it most and at rates needed for proper plant growth.
