Hydropower capacity to reach 5,500MW before May 2005

Reza Ardakanian added that government has managed to increase an extra volume of 2.5 billion cu.m to the water reservoirs to end-year.

Meanwhile, government seeks alternative resources to reduce water consumption from underground waters during the Fourth Five-Year Development Plan (2005-2010).

Iran is considered a relatively dry territory and government plans to improve water management to save more water and encourage the public to decline their consumption.

The country has just been recovering from a 7-year drought period, especially in southeastern areas.

Despite construction of huge dams, government has not yet explained about several millennium-year historic sites having been flooded when the dams’ reservoirs start water-filling.

So energy and water are supplied at the cost of annihilation of ancient regions across the country.

ARA/MA

END

MNA