After a nine-year hiatus ... the Water Resources Directorate in Homs releases irrigation water from the Qattinah Dam through the main canal

Hummus-Sana

Today, the Directorate of Water Resources in Homs released irrigation water from Lake Qattinah through the main canal, experimentally, after a nine-year interruption due to its sabotage by terrorism.

In a statement to SANA, Eng. Ismail Ismail, Director of Water Resources, stated that irrigation water was released from the Qattinah Dam on an experimental basis through the main channel that reaches the northern countryside in the Homs Governorate, indicating that the Directorate of Water Resources is working on rehabilitating the entire irrigation network in the governorate through three Organized contracts with the General Company for Water Projects with a value of 371 million Syrian Pounds and with the General Company for Construction and Development with a value of 85 million Syrian Pounds in addition to the donor, the International Agriculture and Food Organization “FAO”, which rehabilitates the secondary and field channels.

Ismail explained that the water was released today to the parts that completed the rehabilitation process, and it will be released in succession when the rest of the channels are ready to be used by farmers, indicating that this network irrigates about 11 thousand hectares in the northern countryside and in the Talbiseh and Rastan region, in addition to the benefit of about twenty A village in the northern countryside, which contributes to the neighborhoods of agricultural lands in the region, which constitute a food basket for Homs Governorate.

Ismail stressed that with the release of water in the irrigation canal, farmers can optimally invest their lands, thus improving their standard of living and economy, and returning the agricultural economy to the northern countryside, indicating that it is expected that the network's maintenance will be completed completely by the end of this year.

Eng. Nazar Tayara, head of the Qattinah Dam Investment Group, stated that after the maintenance of the gates was completed, they were ready for investment. Today, water has been opened and secured for farmers, pointing out that currently 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 channel in the northern countryside is 47 km long, stretching from Lake Qattinah to Hama, which, after completion of its complete rehabilitation, will contribute to the revival of about 11 thousand hectares of agricultural land in Homs and 7 thousand hectares in Hama.

Saba Kharibak