Ardebil, May 30, IRNA – The Chinese will pay one billion dollars in framework of a finance deal investment in huge project of the watershed network Iran’s Khoda-Afrian Dam, an Iranian lawmaker said here Friday.
“A group comprised of Iranian parliament members and technicians will leave for China on Monday for negotiations with the Chinese company,” said Hojjatoleslam Habib Boroumand in his pre-sermons address.
Highlighting the significance of the watershed network of the dam in development of the region and the country, he said, “After completion and putting to use of this project thousands of new job opportunities in the region will be created.”
Khoda-Afarin Dam in border region of Iran and Azerbaijan Republic is located at 196 kilometer distance of the southern bank of Aras River in the general region of the Iranian city of Khoda-Afarin in Iran’s East Azarbaijan province.
The pilot study for construction of this dam was conducted in the year 1983 by the government of the time, but as the Islamic Revolution took place in the country and soon after its victory the Iraqi imposed war broke out the process of the project remained in its initial phases.
In the year 2000 the construction of this dam was resumed and it operation is now jointly pursed by the Iranian provinces of East Azarbaijan and Ardebil.
The objective behind construction of this container dam is reserving water and controlling the floods of Aras River aimed at irrigating 62 thousand hectares of the agricultural lands of Ardebil province and 12,000 hectares of East Azarbaijan province lands.
92 kilometers of the main canal of this project in Omran Abad region is already completed and it is ready for irrigating 6,000 hectares of agricultural lands.
The capabilities of Khoda-Afarin Dam include preventing the exit of one billion cubic meters of water from the country annually and an annual hydro-electrical power of 550 kilowatts per hour.
In winter of 2013 the Iranian officials in charge had announced that they had gained a 70 million euro credit from the Islamic Development Bank for the watershed network project of Khoda-Afarin Dam.
During construction, several Bronze Age sites were discovered, including the grave of a Saka-Scythian warrior. The reservoir filling, or impoundment, was delayed in 2008 to accommodate excavations.
