Despite the good rainfall since the beginning of the current water year last September in some parts of Iran, Zayandehroud Dam is still 63% empty, the deputy for conservation and utilization at the Isfahan Regional Water Company said.
Recent rains increased water in the dam, which has reached 520 million cubic meters. But it comprises only 37% of the total capacity of the dam, Hassan Sasani was reported as saying by IRNA.
“Zayandehroud dam has registered 1,063 millimeters of rainfall in the period of 7 months, which is around half of the long-term average and about 200 mm less than last year,” Sasani said.
The dam is built on the famous Zayandehroud River 10km east of Chadegan in Isfahan Province. It can hold 1.4 billion cubic meters of water.
The primary purpose of the dam is to supply water to Isfahan, the world famous tourist city. It also supports a 56.5 megawatt hydroelectric power station.
Located in arid regions of Iran with below minimum precipitation, Isfahan, like many other provinces, has been struggling with drought for years, resulting in the gradual drying up of the Zayandehroud River -- the pride of the region.
The river starts in the Zard-Kuh sub-range of the Zagros Mountains in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, flows 400 km eastward before ending in the Gavkhouni swamp, a seasonal salt lake, southeast of Isfahan.
It used to have significant water flow all year long in the past, but now mostly runs dry due to years of inadequate rainfall.
Urmia Lake in Better Condition
Heavy precipitation in the northwest in recent months and especially since the beginning of the Persian New Year (on March 20) has helped increase the water level in Lake Urmia.
It now covers a surface area of about 3,100 square kilometers, around 240 sq km more than last year. However, the troubled lake is still far from its best level decades ago when it covered a surface of 5,000 sq km.
Currently, the lake holds 4.65 billion cubic meters of water that is 1.07 bcm more than the same time last year.
The lake's water level has reached 1,272 meters, which is one meter higher compared to 2014. Yet it is 291 centimeters less than the long-term average.
Besides good rainfall, some restoration measures have also been taken in recent years to revive Lake Urmia.
Stopping dam construction, better managing existing reservoirs, sealing 4,000 illegal wells and promoting sustainable farming for 6,000 hectares have helped the flow of more water into the drying lake.
Diverting treated wastewater to the lake without environmental loss is also underway to help increase the water level in the famous lake. An estimated $280 million has been spent to restore the lake in the past decade.
Located between the provinces of East and West Azarbaijan, the lake is a closed water body fed through 21 permanent and 39 seasonal rivers.
Once the second-largest saltwater lake in the Middle East, Lake Urmia attracted birds and bathers to bask in its turquoise waters in northwest Iran.
However, beginning in the 1970s, nearly three decades of drought and high water demand shriveled the basin, shrinking it by a shocking 80%.
It depleted significantly due to a variety of factors namely construction of a 15 km causeway to shorten travel time between Urmia and Tabriz plus construction of several dams that have choked off water supply from the mountains on either side of the lake.
