The Karkheh Dam () is a large multi-purpose earthen

embankment dam An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface ...

built in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

on the

Karkheh River The Choaspes River (Iran) or Karkheh or Karkhen (Persian: کرخه) (perhaps the river known as the Gihon Ancient Greek: Γεῶν Book of Genesis 2:13 —one of the four Rivers of Paradise in the of Garden of Eden/Paradise in the Bible and a ...

in 2001 by the contractor of Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Central Headquarters of the

Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 i ...

(IRGC). The dam is in the northwestern province of

Khūzestān Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...

, the closest city being

Andimeshk Andimeshk () is a city in the Central District of Andimeshk County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. The city is about north of Shush, on the main road and the rail line between Tehran and ...

to the east. It is high and has a reservoir capacity of 5.9 billion cubic meters. The Karkheh Dam is designed to irrigate of land, produce 520 MW of hydro-electricity and prevent downstream floods. Mean annual electricity generation is approximately 700 GWh. Based on IWPCO records, dam's power plant generated total of 4,941 GWh electricity during 2002–2008. In 2014 the maximum water in the reservoir of the dam reached and it is estimated that this number will be even less in 2015.

Hawizeh Marshes The Hawizeh Marshes are a complex of marshes that straddle the Iran–Iraq border. The marshes are fed by two branches of the Tigris River (the Al-Musharrah and Al-Kahla) in Iraq and the Karkheh River in Iran. The Hawizeh marsh is critical ...

is affected by the torrential sediments of rivers such as Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq and Karkheh in Iran. Karkheh dam caused to decline the quantity of entering water to the wetland and following it, the wetland extend has been reduced remarkably.

Construction

In 1956, studies began on the Karkheh Dam by the American company Development and Resources Corporation, which was headed by

David E. Lilienthal David Eli Lilienthal (July 8, 1899 – January 15, 1981) was an American attorney and public administrator, best known for his presidential appointment to head Tennessee Valley Authority and later the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). He had p ...

, the former chairman of the

Tennessee Valley Authority The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...

(TVA). In 1990, the final studies and design were completed by Mahab Ghodss Consulting Engineers, directed by master engineer Mohammad Soleymani. The engineering division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) started construction on the Karkheh Dam in 1992 and the dam was complete in 2001. During construction, 120 contractual and over eight consultative companies worked on the dam; 5,000 workers constructed the dam and 40 were killed in the process.

References

External links

{{Dams and reservoirs in Iran Dams in Khuzestan Province Hydroelectric power stations in Iran Reservoirs in Iran Buildings and structures in Khuzestan province Earth-filled dams Dams completed in 2001 Dams in the Tigris–Euphrates river system 2001 establishments in Iran

Construction

See also

References

External links