Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
Iran is seeking foreign and domestic investment for a project to transfer water from north of the country to central areas, a senior official said.
Alireza Daemi, the deputy energy minister for planning affairs, has said that the best way for implementing the project is through foreign and domestic investment, Fars news agency reported.
According to the plan, the country will filter and transfer 200 million cubic meters of water annually from the Caspian Sea to the Great Salt Desert (Kavir-e Markazi in Persian, a large desert lying in the middle of the Iranian plateau) including the Semnan Province, he said.
Given the amount of water in the Caspian Sea the project will not have a negative impact on its water level, the official added.
In October 2012, the Iranian energy ministry received the permission to transfer water from the Caspian Sea to central parts.
In December 2013, Iranian deputy energy minister Sattar Mahmoudi said that Iran has finished preliminary studies for transferring water from the Caspian Sea to inland.
However, Iran's Environment Protection Organization opposed the plan suggesting the project may harm the ecosystem.