Araxes

E[currency]ekercioy-lu recalled that five hydroelectric plants built on the Aras River further north had destroyed the biological diversity in that area.

Reason for the increase in the concentration in the last station is because of the entry of some secondary branches coming from Armenia side of border into Aras River.

The Ahmadi-nejad plan would divert water from the Aras River, which forms the border with Azerbaijan, pump it over the mountains and use it to build up Lake Urumiyeh while also providing drinking water to 22 cities and 286 villages and irrigation water for an area that is now rapidly drying up.

The agreement followed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Armenia on Friday, during which the two sides agreed to build hydraulic power plants on Aras River.

Namjoo also said that establishment of a hydro-electric power plant on Aras River was another subject of negotiations between the two countries, based on which a 180-megawatt power plant will be built in Iran and another 180-megawatt power plant will be built in Armenia.

The president claimed to have launched a huge project to divert water from the Aras River to the lake just before he left office.

The agreement stipulates for construction of two stations on Aras River.

In one of its last acts, the Ahmadi-nejad government formally inaugurated the huge project to revive Lake Urumiyeh by diverting water from the Aras River to the lake.

In a meeting with the local officials of Nakhchivan, Ghorbani said that "the friendship bridge between Iran and Azerbaijan has been established on the Aras River playing role of expanding relationship between the two countries.

Under that 1828 treaty, Iran permanently ceded all claims to lands north of the Aras River.

Preliminary studies for building a dam and hydropower plant on the Aras River in Armenia are being conducted, as well," he added.

He said the two sides agreed to launch the third energy transfer line between Iran and Armenia and construction of two hydro-electric power plants on both sides of the Aras River.

However, the chairman of the State Committee of Land and Cartography, Garib Mammadov, believes that the diversion of Aras River water would harm the environment in Azerbaijan.

Announcing satisfaction with the existing relations in the sphere of energy between the two sides, Fattah referred to the joint investment on the establishment of a dam on Aras River announcing that "the feasibility studies on the dam is going to end soon and once the finance is supplied construction of the dam will be started immediately.

Mystery water: A year ago, the government promised the people of Northwest Iran that it would spend a lot of money to divert water from the Aras River into Lake Urumiyeh to stop the shrinkage of the lake.