Dez Dam
Encyclopedia
The Dez Dam is a large hydroelectric dam built in Iran
in 1963 by an Italian consortium.
The dam is on the Dez River
in the Northwestern province of Khuzestan, the closest city being Andimeshk
. It is 203 metres (666 ft) high, making it one of the highest in the world, and has a reservoir capacity of 3.340 million cubic meters. At the time of construction the Dez Dam was Iran
's biggest development project.
It is also possible to visit powerhouse which is located at the east side of the dam in the mountains. The powerhouse has eight vertical Francis turbines.
The dam's current problem is the annual loss of reservoir capacity due to the erosion of soil in upstream areas.
was involved with building the Dez dam. The water from the reservoir went to irrigate 160 square kilometres (61.8 sq mi), only one-fifth of the area that the dam’s designers claimed would be irrigated. The irrigated land was largely for the benefit of foreign agribusiness corporations, including Mitsui, Chase Manhattan, Bank of America, Shell, John Deere and Transworld Agricultural Development Corporation. About 17,000 farmers lost their land to agribusinesses. Years later, many were still landless and jobless. Until the overthrow of the Shah in 1979, all the foreign companies left the area.
Dez Dam has now an official web page and visitors are advised to visit the page and get more exact information.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
in 1963 by an Italian consortium.
The dam is on the Dez River
Dez River
The Dez River , the ancient Coprates , is a tributary of the Karun River and is 400 km long. It is the site of the Dez Dam.It is believed that a fortress protected a strategic bridge across the river at Dezful, whence the name, although no trace of this castle remains. The old part of the city...
in the Northwestern province of Khuzestan, the closest city being Andimeshk
Andimeshk
Andimeshk is a city in and the capital of Andimeshk County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 119,422, in 26,140 families....
. It is 203 metres (666 ft) high, making it one of the highest in the world, and has a reservoir capacity of 3.340 million cubic meters. At the time of construction the Dez Dam was Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
's biggest development project.
It is also possible to visit powerhouse which is located at the east side of the dam in the mountains. The powerhouse has eight vertical Francis turbines.
The dam's current problem is the annual loss of reservoir capacity due to the erosion of soil in upstream areas.
Building process
ImpregiloImpregilo
Impregilo S.p.A. is an Italian-based construction and civil engineering business headquartered in Milan. The company was founded in 1959 and, through mergers, has grown to become the leading Italian engineering and general contracting group in the construction and environmental sectors...
was involved with building the Dez dam. The water from the reservoir went to irrigate 160 square kilometres (61.8 sq mi), only one-fifth of the area that the dam’s designers claimed would be irrigated. The irrigated land was largely for the benefit of foreign agribusiness corporations, including Mitsui, Chase Manhattan, Bank of America, Shell, John Deere and Transworld Agricultural Development Corporation. About 17,000 farmers lost their land to agribusinesses. Years later, many were still landless and jobless. Until the overthrow of the Shah in 1979, all the foreign companies left the area.
Dez Dam has now an official web page and visitors are advised to visit the page and get more exact information.