TEHRAN, Iran, Nov. 6
Trend:
So far, a budget of $1.4 billion has been spent on Water Transfer Project to Lake Urmia, said Behrouz Moradi executive director of Iran Water and Power Resources Development Company (IWPC), Trend reports citing IRNA.
Lake Urmia, located in the northwest of Iran, was once the most extensive permanent hypersaline lake in the world. Unsustainable water management in response to increasing demand together with climatic extremes has given rise to the lake's depletion during the last two decades. The lake’s restoration program was established in 2013 and aims to restore the lake within a 10-year program.
The director emphasized that the water transfer tunnel required for the project is expected to construct with the credit of $340 million.
The Kanisib tunnel, stretching to 36 km, is the most important structure for transferring water to Lake Urmia to prevent it from drying out, which is currently in the final stages of construction, he said adding that nearly 130 meters of the tunnel are remained, which is being completed by the end of the current Iranian year (ends on March 21, 2022).
The water transfer tunnel cause Lake Urmia to reach its ecological level over the next seven years, which is 1274.1 meters with 15 billion cubic meters of water and 4,300 square kilometers surface, he added.
He went on to add that two water treatment plants are under construction in the cities of Urmia and Tabriz of East Azerbaijan Province.
The water transfer tunnel causes Lake Urmia to reach its ecological level over the next seven years, which is 1274.1 meters with 15 billion cubic meters of water and 4,300 square kilometers surface.