The dam is one of the largest structures created by humans. The purpose of dams is to generate electricity, store water, and control floods. Dam construction has impacts on downstream areas and even the climate. Four years have passed since the construction of the Sardasht Dam. The construction of the Sardasht Dam has had impacts on the lives of citizens and the environment. The creation of the Sardasht Dam has resulted in earthquakes, deforestation, and an increase in poverty and unemployment.

History of Dam Construction:

Close to two-thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, but less than 3% of this water is drinkable. Modern humans, with the beginning of agriculture 9000 years ago, reached their greatest civilization between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The need for water for agriculture led to the discovery of new methods for utilizing water resources. The first known dam, the Jawa Dam, was built 5000 years ago in Jordan. With technological advancements and approaching recent centuries, dam construction for providing water for drinking, agriculture, electricity production, etc. has greatly increased. The population of the Earth was 4 million 12000 years ago, reached 190 million about 2000 years ago, and now has increased to nearly 8 billion. The population growth in recent centuries has led to excessive exploitation of water, resulting in pollution, destruction, and exploitation of nature by humans. Dam construction also has benefits such as providing electricity, preventing floods, storing

Dam construction in Iran began in 1320 and now there are more than 600 dams, some of which have been built as part of massive projects. After the revolution, more than 170 dams in Iran have been put into operation as part of these large projects (national dams). The construction of these large dams has significantly increased in Iranian governments, with only one dam in the first and second governments, three dams in the third government, two dams in the fifth government, and 13 dams in both the sixth and seventh governments, 35 dams in the eighth government, 18 dams in the ninth government, 39 dams in the tenth government, 25 dams in the eleventh government, and three dams in the twelfth government have been put into operation.

Construction of Sardasht Dam:

The Sardasht Dam has been built on the small Zab River in West Azerbaijan province. The small Zab originates from the Qandil Mountains in Piranshahr county and after passing through Piranshahr and Sardasht, it flows into Iraqi Kurdistan. It then enters the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq before finally reaching the Persian Gulf.

Preliminary studies for Sardasht Dam began in 1378 and construction of the dam started in 1388. The construction operation lasted until 1396. The dam is 112 meters high and 280 meters long. Sardasht Dam has a hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of 150 megawatts and an annual electricity production of 422 gigawatt hours. The dam wall is made of rockfill with a clay core. The dam has a capacity of 387 million cubic meters of water.

Social impacts of the Sardasht Dam:

With the construction of the Sardasht Dam in 1396 (2017), residents of several nearby villages were forced to leave their homes. One of the most significant impacts of dams is the forced displacement of populations, loss of land and pastures, and the resulting unemployment and population density in other areas. In a city like Sardasht, despite the high unemployment, poverty, and lack of factories, many citizens are forced to take on jobs such as portering and labor. In the area of the Sardasht Dam, there are a large number of agricultural lands that were previously used for irrigation, but are now being turned into luxurious villas. Additionally, there is no infrastructure for tourism in the area of the Sardasht Dam.

Environmental impacts of Sardasht Dam:

The Zab River travels more than a thousand kilometers from Piranshahr County in northwestern Iran to the Persian Gulf in southern Iran, supporting a large number of animals, plant species, and trees along its course.

With the construction of dams, hundreds of hectares of forests and pastures are submerged. For example, with the construction of the Sardasht dam, more than 4 million square meters of oak forests were submerged under the dam. After the construction of the Sardasht dam, the process of cutting down trees began and according to official sources, permission was granted to cut down and transfer more than 3000 tons of oak trees that were located within the vicinity of the dam.

One of the problems of decreasing the height of the reservoir in the summer season is the death of fish and other aquatic animals, which die due to lack of oxygen and getting stuck in the thousands of fish traps. In September of last year (1399), thousands of fish died simultaneously as the remaining water volume in the Sardasht Dam reservoir decreased. The water from the Sardasht Dam is used for supplying drinking water to the city. With the decrease in the height of the dam reservoir, in past summers, there has been a problem in supplying drinking water to urban areas, to the extent that the drinking water smelled of mud and its color became muddy. The amount of water released from the dam during a day sometimes reaches zero and sometimes increases to several times the normal level when the turbines start working. This has made the downstream of the dam an unsafe place for animals and humans. The transfer of water from the small Zab River through tunnels to revive Lake Urmia, which

With the construction of the Sardasht Dam, we have witnessed an increase in the number of minor earthquakes in the Sardasht County. The route of the Sardasht Dam is located on the main Zagros fault, which starts from Turkey and extends to the vicinity of the Oman Sea, making it the main fault in Iran. Dams can lead to induced earthquakes, and the Sardasht County, which is located in critical earthquake zones in Iran, is at risk of these induced earthquakes, which can potentially lead to larger earthquakes measuring over 4 on the Richter scale.