After a 9-year hiatus, irrigation water is pumped from Qattinah Dam through the main canal

After a nine-year hiatus due to its sabotage by terrorists, the Directorate of Water Resources in Homs pumped today irrigation water from Qattinah Lake through the main canal on an experimental basis.

In a statement to SANA, Eng. Ismail Ismail, Director of Water Resources, stated that irrigation water was pumped from Qattinah dam today, experimentally, through the main canal that reaches the northern countryside in Homs governorate, indicating that the Directorate of Water Resources is working to rehabilitate the entire irrigation network in the governorate through three organized contracts with the General Company of Water Projects, the General Company of Construction and Development and the International Agriculture and Food Organization “FAO”.

The director stated that this network irrigates about 11 thousand hectares in the northern countryside and in Talbiseh and Rastan region, and benefits about twenty villages in the northern countryside, which in turn will contribute to the revival of agricultural lands in the region- the main source of food for Homs Governorate.

Eng. Ismail confirmed that with the pumping of water in the irrigation canal, farmers can optimally invest their lands, thus improving their standard of living and economy, and returning the wheel of the agricultural economy to the northern countryside, noting that the network’s maintenance is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Eng. Nazar Tayara, head of Qattinah Dam Investment Group, stated that after the completion of the maintenance of the gates, the water was pumped and secured for farmers.  The current storage in Qattinah Dam Lake is 171 million cubic meters out of the maximum storage of 200 million.

It is noteworthy that the main irrigation canal in the northern countryside is 47 km long, stretching from Qattinah Lake to Hama, which, after completion of its rehabilitation, will contribute to the revival of about 11 thousand hectares of agricultural land in Homs and 7 thousand hectares in Hama.

Inas Abdulkareem