Orhar News
Oficial Opening of the Rafahran-Dam
Thursday 03.04.2025
It’s a sunny day at the shores of the Rodkhaneh Zandegi where the freshly modernized Rafahran-Dam was celebrationally opened by government officals.
Using big golden scissors the Prime Minister of Orharan Salma Iqabal together with the Prime Minister of the State of Mantageh Miani, Fazel Sayyad, as well as the Minister of Construction and Cityplaning, Bairam Nazeri, cut a velvet ribbon to the control station of the dam. Thus making the finalization of the construction project official.
In an official Speech Fazel Sayyad said:
“The renovation of the Rafahran-Dam means a new age for the Region! It’s newly built hydroelectrical powerplant will supply not only the City of Rafahran itself but also most parts of the region. In addition to this, the newly built canals and equalizing basins serve as an irrigation system providing people with fresh water and farmers with new farmland. The finalization of such a project will start a new golden age not only for the State of Mantageh Miani but for all of Orharan!”
The dam itself was planned by the federal government in early 2014 as a renovation of the dam that was built in 1929 and started construction in late November of 2014. It was originally planned to be finished in May of 2023 and delayed by the resettlement of various villages located in the expected floodzone.
Critics say that the delay was partially a result of corruption and embezzlement from local officials and the contracted construction firm, leading to 2.1 billion Orh being spent more than originally estimated.
The construction took nearly 10.5 years and cost the government 8.7 billion Orh during it’s construction with an additional 857 million Orh that were spent on compensations for villagers that were moved out of their houses.
Whilst government officials celebrate the newly built dam marine-ecologists warn about possible negative effects on marine life and water quality. Samira Fathi, Marine biologist and head of the Biologic Institute of the University of Orhar, told Orhar News reporters:
“The dam has the potential to severly harm the maritime ecosystem! With the bigger walls and changed turbines it is expected that the dam will have a lower water throughput than the old Rafahran-Dam, as most of the water is planned to be held back in order to irrigate the local area. This lower througput of freshwater means that the salt concentration at the rivermouth close to the coast will rise as saltwater will flow back into the river. This change in salt-concentration will lead to the migration of feshwater species further into the river. Which can affect local fishers.
Next to that this change might lead to the spread of some algae. Depending on the severity this might end up to a loss of water quality and the need for better water treatment facilities. This might prove especially problematic, considering some regions up the river lack a consistent supply of freshwater during droughts.
In the end the throughput of ships through the floodgates might prove helpful to regulating change in the rivers ecosystem, however we shouldn’t rely solely on this. I propose extra floodgates, with the only purpose to occassionally let water flow through so that the ecosystem can stay somewhat stable.”
The hydroelectric powerplant located within the dam is expected to officially start producing electricity on monday, as some systems still need testing.
