The number of large dams in Iran would reach a total of 156 by August 2021, says the country’s energy minister as the government pushes ahead with plans to build 12 more reservoirs across the country.
Reza Ardakanian said on Thursday that a total of 40 new reservoir dams had been opened in Iran since August 2013, when the current administrative government came to office.
He made the comments while attending an inauguration ceremony led by President Hassan Rouhani for a new reservoir in the western province of Ilam. The construction of the dam, a 384-meter structure which can contain 20 million cubic meters of water, has cost the government over $8 million.
Ardakanian said that Iran had broken a record of launching a dam once every two months while adding that adding that some 380 trillion rials ($2.375 billion) had been spend on reservoirs and drainage and irrigation systems over the past six and a half years.
“We hope this trend would continue relying on engineering principles and observing environmental issues,” he said.
The minister said Iran had only 19 reservoir dams in 1979, when the Islamic Revolution took place.
“Currently, the number of these dams has reached 144 ... on average, nearly four reservoirs have been built each year in the country,” said Ardakanian.
Building new dams accelerated in Iran after flash floods in March and April last year inundated many towns and villages and left tens of thousands displaced in north and southwest of the country.
Experts believe Iran would take benefit of its expanding network of reservoirs and irrigation systems as the country expects more wet seasons in the coming years.