Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi has visited the central province of Isfahan and launched the second phase of a large-scale national project that transfers water from the Sea of Oman to the drought-prone province.
Raeisi arrived in Isfahan on Friday and was briefed upon arrival by the provincial officials, contractors and workers on the latest stages of progress in the implementation of the 980-kilometer water supply project.
“Reports indicate that the implementation period of this project has whittled down to a third,” the Iranian chief executive said, stressing that water supply is a very important issue as it can help promote agriculture and industry in Isfahan Province.
“This project has gained further momentum and 50% of it has been completed so far, and on the whole, we are witnessing the implementation of a very good and valuable work,” Raeisi added.
Expressing his gratitude to the entire personnel and staff involved in the major project, Raeisi then ordered the launch of the second phase of the water transfer scheme from the Sea of Oman to the central Iranian province.
The project was initiated in September last year, transferring 70 million cubic meters of water to Isfahan in the first stage and 400 million other in the next stage.
The length of the water transfer route from the Sea of Oman to Isfahan is 980 kilometers, of which 520 km has been completed, 420 km has been excavated and 214 km has been laid with pipes.
The water supply project is part of a plan to revive Isfahan’s Zayandeh Rud River and provide water for drinking, agriculture and local industries.
Iran faces a race against time to tackle its serious water shortage challenge as water depletion in the country is one of the highest in the world, with studies expecting a 25 percent decline in surface water runoff by 2030.
The Iranian authorities have been toiling away at various projects to resolve the crisis, including schemes that economize on water consumption in the industrial field and state-of-the-art seawater desalination plans.
