Iran aims to water the desert

Iran has launched a $1.5 billion project to bring water for drinking and irrigation from the Caspian Sea to its central desert.

State TV said that after desalination at the point of origin, the water will be transported through a 300 mile-long pipeline to the central Kavir desert, bringing about 200 million cubic metres of water per year.

Nearly 14 per cent of Iran’s territory is desert.

The Caspian Sea is shared by Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Its salinity is about a third of that of ordinary sea water.