Water Levels in Iran Dams Rise 300%

EghtesadOnline: Since the beginning of the current water year last September, the volume of water flowing into the country's dams has reached 64.08 billion cubic meters, up 300% compared to 16.15 bcm last year.

News ID: ۷۴۷۲۵۹

07 May 2019

Iran registered significant improvement in rainfall in recent months and precipitation in almost all provinces exceeded the average in 50 years, IRNA reported.

Dams now have much better conditions compared to previous years. The amount of water stored in dams has grown by 60% since last year and reached 74.39 bcm. Currently, the dams are 79% full.

Of the total 178 dams 83 are large, Financial Tribune reported.

Dams across the country can hold a maximum of 50 billion cubic meters of water. Precipitation in seven months has raised the water in dams close to 40 bcm.

According to data by the Energy Ministry, 319.3 millimeters of rain fell in seven months, 128% over and above the same period last year, which was the driest year in half a century, and 45% more than the average in the past half century.

Western Lorestan Province with 1,143 mm of rainfall and Sistan-Baluchestan Province in the southeast with 91.7 mm had the highest and lowest level of rainfall so far.

After Lorestan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad Province (1,012 mm) and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province (966 mm) registered the highest precipitation in the current water year.

Higher Precipitation

All major river basins have also enjoyed higher precipitation this year. Iran is divided into six primary river basins: the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman basin in the south and Hamoun Wetlands in the east (mainly in Sistan and Baluchestan Province) had the highest and lowest rainfall, with 525.1 mm and 100 mm respectively.

The other basins are the Caspian Sea in the north, Urmia Lake in northwest, Karakum in the northeast and the Central Plateau in Markazi Province.

The Caspian Sea basin usually has the highest amount of rainfall, but this year it received 485.8 mm of rain and was in second place after the Persian Gulf basin.

Tehran Province registered 107% increase in rainfall compared to last year. Precipitation in the sprawling capital was registered at 364 mm since September. It was 176 mm last year. Rainfall increased by 56% compared to the average long-term volume.

According to the Iran Meteorological Organization, more rainfall is expected in the coming weeks.

Water flowing into five dams near Tehran has risen by 95% compared to the last water year and total volume of water in dams is over 1.15 bcm. The dams held 592 mcm of water last year.

Tehran witnessed unprecedented decline in precipitation last year, which caused the amount of water inflow into the five dams (Karaj, Latyan, Taleqan, Lar and Mamlou) to drop drastically.

The deficit led to occasional blackouts in some parts of Tehran last summer because hydroelectric dams could not operate normally and water shortages and outages in satellite towns southwest of Tehran were an added problem.

Officials say that with apposite volume of water in dams, which might also increase due to the melting of snow in the mountains in summer, the capital has enough water and electricity for this year.

Although the higher precipitation is expected to curb the water tension from which Iran has been suffering for more than a decade, it killed more than 70 people and inflicted colossal human and material damage in several towns and villages, especially in the western and northern regions.

Torrential rainfall began in mid March, overflowing rivers, washing away bridges, inundating houses and destroying infrastructure.

It caused tens of thousands of people to be displaced especially in the northern provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran, the western Lorestan Province and Khuzestan Province in the and southwest.