TEHRAN – Managing director of Iran Water Resources Management Company said four dams have been inaugurated across the country since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2020), IRIB reported.

Mohammad Haj-Rasouliha said that the number of inaugurated dams is planned to reach seven by the end of the first half of this year (September 21), while the figure should reach nine by the yearend.

“To date, four dams have been inaugurated in Ilam, Kermanshah, West Azarbaijan, and South Khorasan provinces,” he said.

The official noted that another dam will be put into operation in East Azarbaijan province this week, adding: "Two more dams will go operational by the end of [the current Iranian calendar month of] Shahrivar (September 21) in Hamedan and Kerman provinces."

According to Haj-Rasouliha, the inauguration of seven dams is a significant record in the country's dam construction industry.

Referring to the good situation of the country’s water storage in dam reservoirs, the official said currently, there is more than 30 billion cubic meters of water in the reservoirs of the country's dams.

The figure was 31 billion cubic meters in the same period last year, he added.

He further noted that currently, over 60 percent of the capacity of the country’s dams is full.

Back in May, the Energy Ministry’s portal (Paven) had announced that 190 dams, with a total reservoir capacity of 48.488 billion cubic meters, were under study or being constructed across Iran.

As reported, 90 of the mentioned dams with a total reservoir capacity of 29.724 billion cubic meters were under study, and another 100 dams with a total reservoir capacity of 18.7672 billion cubic meters under construction.

Out of a total of 183 currently operational dams across Iran, 52 are related to the Caspian Sea catchment area, 12 are based in Urumieh basin, 68 dams are located in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman watersheds, 34 dams are in the Central Plateau, 11 dams are in Sarakhs catchment basin, and another six dams are located across the eastern boundary basin (Hamoun).

EF/MA