Project
Project on combating and storing seasonal runoffs in Makran region making use of natural surface structures
Baluchestan plain, locating in southwest of Iran, is among the semi-arid to ultra-arid regions of Iran plateau. According to the statistics and information related to the last 55 years, mean annual rainfall is to be about 115 to 120mm. However, more than 70 percent of the precipitation occurs from late autumn to early spring. In addition, due to the soil type and very low permeability, it causes flooding rivers, occurring runoff and resulted damages. Furthermore, huge amounts of high-quality water, along with a significant volume of fertile agricultural soils, flows into Oman Sea without any use.
Although the containment of surface waters and water production has long been considered and planned in the executive plans and studies of the Ministry of Energy, like in other parts of the country, due to the geological structure and tectonics of the region, site selection for the structures with suitable volume and strength is very difficult. In addition, the result of this effort has been less successful than the dam construction efforts in other provinces. As proof of this claim, it may be referred to the 40-year studies of the Kariani Dam, which despite the effort and follow-up of the Ministry of Energy in reviewing the studies several times, there is uncertainties in the amount of sediment input as well as the resistance of the supports. It maybe for these reasons that some projects such as the improving natural reservoirs of Chahnimeh have been more successful.
This project is going to convert the natural bed of Patanpiss syncline into a suitable reservoir with minimal environmental in order to contain and store floods based on Chahnimeh modeling. It is intended that maximum capacity of the natural bed to be used in transferring mentioned runoff into the reservoir. Consequently, it is required to have the least route modification compared to the similar water transfer projects. Additionally, due to the absence of any pumping station on the water transferring route into the reservoir as well as transferring from the reservoir to the consuming destinations, it is considered as a green project.
The mentioned project will be fully funded by the private sector, in the framework of the law entitled "Encouraging investment in the water projects of the country" and according to the "Instructions for handing over asset acquisition projects to the non-governmental sector" and will be operated according to the financial model approved by the Ministry of Energy. Considering that according to the mentioned law as well as approved and notified guidelines and regulations of the Ministry of Energy, the current required drinking water will be provided with a higher supply reliability factor, it will definitely stabilize the demographics, social development, economic prosperity and even ecosystem improvement.
It is of great importance and priority, both from the perspectives of the land development and Makran superior position in the country according to the sea-oriented development policy.
Regarding to existence of unique geological structures in Makran region, in order to realize mentioned goal, it seems necessary to primarily identify surface natural reservoirs that may be used to store a significant amount of flood water to prevent flowing runoff into the Oman Sea.
In current project, the runoff resulting from the monsoon raining in the southern parts of Nikshahr, locating in Sistan and Baluchistan province, will be gravitationally stored and exploited in natural studied reservoirs along the runoff route through constructing a 100 km transfer route and 2 trenches. Currently, high-quality water resulted from the raining flows into the Oman Sea without any usage and causing a lot of damage due to very low permeability along the flood route. Several economic, social and environmental benefits are considered for afore-mentioned project.