“According to plans, about 400 million cubic meters of water will be delivered to the southern province,” Ali Akbar Mehrabian was also quoted as saying by the Energy Ministry’s news portal Paven.
The first phase of the project is underway to transfer desalinated water from Parsian Special Economic Energy Zone in southern Hormozgan Province in the Persian Gulf to Lamard Special Economic Zone in Fars.
A 100-km pipeline with five pumping stations will annually transfer 15 million cubic meters of desalinated water from Parsian Port to Lamard.
Estimated to cost $170 million, the project is expected to be completed in two years.
The development of Lamard energy zone is imperative to expand the petrochemical industry and this cannot happen unless sufficient water is available.
Fars Province’s drinking water comes from 350 wells, springs, aqueducts and two dams. The dry province, as is the case in most other regions of Iran, has been grappling with drought for years and piling pressure on the people, utilities and urban managers.
Officials have warned that the region’s groundwater balance is negative due to the high rate of water withdrawal.
Prolonged drought, rising temperatures, growing demand and global warming have led to a rapid decline in the recharge of groundwater resources.
Although experts consider water transfer schemes to be environmentally harmful, the transfer of Persian Gulf water is seen as the last resort. Many Arab littoral states have long been drawing water from the strategic waterway at a high cost.
Kazeroun Water Projects
Visiting the water projects in Kazeroun County, the energy minister said the projects have not progressed well in recent years and added that the government will help expedite the projects to resolve the water issues in the county.
Referring to the construction of Nargesi Dam in the county as one of the ongoing projects, he noted that it is one of the most important dams in Fars Province and plays a key role for Kazeroun in terms of water supply to agricultural, industrial and drinking sectors.
“The construction of Nargesi Dam has registered 70% progress and it is expected to be completed by the end of the next Iranian year [March 2023],” he said.
“The installation of water pipelines from the dam to the farmlands has started and is expected to be completed next year.”
Kazeroun has a hot semi-arid climate. Its main agricultural products include citrus fruits, dates, grapes, wheat and rice.
During his trip to the southern county, Mehrabian also paid a visit to the wastewater treatment plant that is near the final stage of construction.
The facility has a capacity to treat over 17,000 cubic meters of wastewater per day and when operational, it will cover more than 100,000 households in Kazeroun.
According to the energy minister, the project will be officially inaugurated in the coming months.