The construction of Qiz-Qalasi Dam in East Azarbaijan Province is near completion and it will become operational by the end of the summer, the managing director of the provincial Regional Water Company said.
“The dam project on the Aras River, launched 20 years ago, was delayed by several years due to various problems. But it will be finally completed in less than three months,” Yousef Ghaffarzadeh was also reported as saying by ILNA.
With a capacity of 62 mcm, Qiz-Qalasi Dam has been built for supplying water to irrigation and drainage networks of Khoda-Afarin County. When its hydroelectric power station comes on stream, it will also annually generate 270 MWh of electricity.
The construction of Khoda-Afarin dam, also on the Aras River, has registered more than 90% progress and is expected to be completed next year.
Khoda-Afarin is an earthfill embankment dam, with a capacity of 1.6 billion cubic meters of water. It is located 8 km west of Khomarlou, capital of Khoda-Afarin County.
One of the largest dams in northwest Iran, it supplies 1 billion cubic meters of water to the region annually. Other functions of the dam are flood control and development of aquaculture and fisheries.
Upon the launch of its hydropower plant, it will also produce 550 megawatt hours of electricity per year.
Qiz-Qalasi and Khoda-Afarin dams can store about 1.7 billion cubic meters of water, and their hydroelectric power stations will generate 300 megawatts of hydropower plant.
Iran’s dam building capacity has improved significantly in the past three decades. The country ranks third in dam construction internationally, after China and Japan, according to the American Enterprise Institute.
One of the longest rivers in the Caucasus, Aras River rises in eastern Turkey and flows along the borders between Turkey and Armenia, between Turkey and the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan, between Iran and both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and, finally, through Azerbaijan where it is a tributary of the Kura River. The river's total length is 1,072 kilometers and its watershed covers an area of 102,000 square kilometers.
Water Transfer
Iran and Azerbaijan use Aras River resources based on mutual interest. East Azarbaijan Province's share of water from the river is 282 mcm a year and when the first phase of the plan to transfer water from the river in the northwest to Tabriz is inaugurated, Iran’s share will rise by 102 mcm/y.
The project is mainly aimed at providing water to 1.75 million people living in Tabriz, the capital city of East Azarbaijan Province and Iran’s sixth largest city, and towns and villages around it by 2026.
It will also supply water to Aras Free Zone and other industrial regions in East Azarbaijan and respect the environmental rights of Lake Urmia.
The water transfer project’s completion will need $485 million and include 110 kilometers of pipelines, three pumping stations, one treatment facility and 11 water storage facilities.
The agriculture sector in East Azarbaijan has a 12% share in Iran’s gross domestic product, 20% share in employment and an 80% share in meeting food demand.
The province is home to 1.22 million hectares of farms. Raisins, dairy products, tomato paste, apple juice, onions, lettuce and cabbage are the main agricultural products of the province.
The average global per capita water consumption is 150 liters per day but the average per capita water consumption in East Azarbaijan is 220 liters per day. This amount reaches 250 liters per day in summer when the temperature goes up and water consumption increases.
About 75% of Tabriz drinking water are supplied from Zarrinehroud and Nahand dams. However, as the equipment of water treatment plants and pumping stations in the two dams are more than 25 years old, in case of any problem, drinking water supply to Tabriz metropolis will face serious challenges.
The completion of Aras water transmission line will help the city by ensuring a sustainable water supply for the people of the northwestern city.
