Mining News -The head of MSC’s sales and marketing department said that the water transfer project is unique when it comes to laying pipes, its facilities and social studies as well as operations, adding the project was worked out following a visit by the Supreme Leader on March 2, 2003 to Zahak, a border town in northeastern Sistan and Baluchestan Province. It got off the ground after a trip by the Cabinet to the region in 2014.
The project is intended to stem the tide of migration involving local residents, maintain the province’s sustainability as a strategic region in the country’s security map, revive agriculture, and contribute to efforts to create jobs and income for the locals.
Mohammadreza Zivdar said the project was set in motion in early 2015 after as much as 400 million cubic meters of water – out of Iran’s water rights of 820 million cubic meters – from the Hirmand River was dedicated to the project and its finances were provided through the National Development Fund. “Sistan Plain is 200,000 hectares in area, of which 130,000 hectares is barren. The project, which will take water through pipes to 46,000 hectares of land, is expected to be complete by March 20, 2018.”
As for the technical features of the project, he said that the project entails more than 5,000 kilometers of primary and secondary pipelines, including about 160 km of steel pipes (2,000 mm in thickness) and GRP pipes (1,600 mm in thickness).
He went on to say in light of the fact that the Agriculture Jihad Ministry needed the items rather urgently, Mobarakeh Steel Company gave priority to the order placed for the project. “The steel needed was produced for pipe manufacturers in the shortest time possible. The company sent more than 51,000 tons of hot-rolled coils (ST37 grade) to be used in making spiral pipes, of which 11,500 tons were 16 mm thick and 1,500 mm wide. Another 37,500 tons of our products were 14.3 mm in thickness and 1,500 mm in width, and the remaining 2,000 tons were items 12.7 mm thick and 1,500 mm wide.”
Overall, 21 contractors involving a workforce of 1,900 people are working on the project, the official said, adding 76 percent of the staff in this project are locals.