TEHRAN – Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian announced that drinking water will be supplied to 1,124 villages throughout the country by the end of current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2020), IRNA reported.

In this way, 700,000 villagers will enjoy healthy drinking water by the yearend, the minister added.

He also said that his ministry’s planning is that all 10 million people living in the rural areas of Iran will enjoy healthy drinking water by the end of the summer of Iranian calendar year of 1400 (September 2021).

This measure prevents migration of villagers to the cities, while encouraging urban-rural migration and promoting production in the rural areas, Ardakanian underlined.

Energy minister made the remarks on the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony of several water and electricity projects in the central province of Semnan on Monday.

He also announced that 10 dams and nine thermal power plants are going to go on stream across the country by the yearned.

Ardakanian said the mentioned projects are going to be inaugurated to ensure that all Iranians have access to water and electricity.

According to the minister, the said dams are under construction in Tehran, Ilam, Qom, Yazd, Kerman, West Azarbaijan and Semnan provinces and when operational they will add 745 million cubic meters to Iranian dams’ water capacity.

MA/MA