The first phase of Tehran's sixth treatment plant and first phase of the Comprehensive Water Supply Plan, dubbed Tehran Water Ring System are now operational, the Energy Ministry news website quoted Hamidreza Janbaz as saying.
Costing $100 million, the two projects will gradually put an end to water extraction from depleting underground resources (1 billion liters per day) in the capital city where the earth in some plains sinks by about 0.5 millimeter every day, Janbaz noted.
Regarding the first scheme (Tehran's sixth treatment plant), he noted that the $50 million facility, which took 10 years to be completed, has the capacity to treat 7,500 liters of water per second and will raise overall capacity in the province from 25,000 liters to 32,500 liters per second.
Located in the west of Tehran (Shahrak-e-Rah Ahan), the venture is an undertaking of the Tehran Regional Water Company and will further improve potable water quality in districts 22, 21, 18, 9 and 5. With 12 million people the capital has 22 municipal districts.
“Annually 300 million cubic meters of water will be transferred to the plant from Amir Kabir Dam (Karaj Dam) through a 30-km tunnel,” he said.
There are five facilities in the sprawling capital that treat 25,000 liters of water per second (2 billion liters a day), and the new plant will boost capacity to above 30,000 liters per second (2.8 billion l/d).
“Close to three billion liters of water (3 million cubic meters) is consumed in Tehran everyday (1.1 billion cubic meters per annum).” Of the total daily demand, 30% (1 billion liters) comes from underground sources that are depleting fast and the new plant will help gradually cut demand.
5 Main Dams
Five dams, namely Amirkabir and Taleqan (in the west) as well as Latian, Lar and Mamlou (in the east) supply 70% of Tehran’s water.
About the second project (the first phase of Tehran Water Ring System), the official noted that 40 kilometers of pipelines were laid to transfer water from Amirkabir and Lar dams to the western and southern regions.
“Second phase of the megaproject will come online next summer when water from treatment plants will enter one pipeline and supply all 22 districts.”
Under the plan launched in mid-2015, 180 kilometers of pipelines have so far been laid to integrate six water treatment facilities and ensure water quality and quantity to the capital that has expanded rapidly in four directions over the past half century.
Upon completion, if one water treatment plant is out of service other plant(s) will replace it. If water level in one dam is low at any given time, residents getting water from that dam will not be affected because the dams have been integrated.
Water consumption in Tehran Province jumped to 1.2 billion cubic meters in the last water year that ended on Sept. 22.
Tehran received 462 millimeters of rainfall in the period (Sept 22, 2019 to Sept. 22, 2020), which was the highest in the past 50 years. However, due to low snowfall, water flow into five dams around the province fell by 15% or 2.2 billion cubic meters.
Tehran dams now approximately hold 800 million cubic meters of water -- down 102 mcm compared to this time last year.
Janbaz said the company is struggling to wrap up water infrastructure projects because of cumbersome regulations and the bloated bureaucracy plus the lack of effective cooperation from state bodies like the Department of Environment and the municipality.