TEHRAN - In continuation of regular visits to different provinces, President Ebrahim Raisi paid a two-day visit to Yazd province, in center of Iran, on Thursday and Friday, when he inaugurated and visited a number of projects in the province.

During the trip, numerous projects in various sectors including housing, industrial, water and electricity were inaugurated in the mentioned province, IRNA reported.

Participating in the Yazd Province Planning and Development Council meeting, meeting with the people of Yazd (capital city) and some other cities of the province, as well as a specialized meeting with different groups were on the president’s schedule during the visit to Yazd.

Some ministers and vice presidents, who accompanied President Raisi, also traveled to the different cities and towns in the province on behalf of the president to closely address the problems of the people living there.

Starting implementation of major water transfer project

As the most important event planned for the president’s visit to Yazd Province, Raisi ordered the start of a project for implementing the second line of the major water transfer pipeline from the Persian Gulf to Yazd, Isfahan, and Kerman provinces, in a ceremony held on Thursday.

The 720-kilometer pipeline is going to be constructed in a three-year period with an annual transfer capacity of 200 million cubic meters.

The main goal of this project is to supply water for industries and also households based in arid areas of the mentioned provinces.

Economic development of central provinces, growth of the country's mineral industries as an alternative to oil, supplying drinking water to cities and villages in the provinces of Yazd, Kerman, and Isfahan, agricultural development, prevention of drilling unauthorized wells and preservation of underground water reserves, the development of petrochemical complexes and refineries in the mentioned region, prevention of migration, and job creation are among the benefits of the mentioned project.

Inaugurating several industrial, energy projects

President Raisi also inaugurated eight major industrial projects as well as 11 electricity supply projects during his visit to Yazd province.

The industrial projects include the development plan of a yarn company with 24 trillion rials (about $11 million) of investment and job creation for 250 people; an iron and steel complex with 385.7 trillion rials (about $101.2 million) and job creation for 450 people; a tile and ceramic manufacturing company with 4 trillion rials (about $10.5 million) of investment which is going to create jobs for 110 people.

Also, 11 electricity transmission and distribution projects were inaugurated on Thursday in a ceremony with the presence of the president, the minister of energy, and a group of officials from Yazd province.

The projects went operational in the cities of Meibod, Ashkdez, Mehriz, Ardakan, Bahabad, Saghand, Sadouq, and Khezrabad.

Raisi also ordered the start of a project for the construction of 23,600 residential units in Yazd. This was the second visit of the president to Yazd Province since he took office in August 2021.

EF/MA