Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – January 16, 1997

For the commencement ceremony of the first phase of Tehran's sewage project, we went to the south of Shahreri by helicopter. First, we flew with a helicopter over the cities of Firouzabad and Barut Kobi until the end of the route. The water of the streams is polluted, but they are used in agriculture and cover about 30 thousand hectares of land. Mr. Zanganeh, [Minister of Energy] and Mohsen [Head of the President's Office] were also with me. It was decided to build two treatment plants on them to make the water sanitary

We landed at the sewage treatment plant. It is about 110 hectares. It has been built for five million people with two lagoon and active sludge systems. The first phase, the main line from the railway square to

It is 12 kilometers long and two meters in diameter, and they have started connecting the branches. The second line is from here to the mint. The whole plan costs about 120 billion tomans. We walked inside the tubes for a while. In the briefing hall, we heard the explanation of engineer [Qanbar Ali] Rajabi, [CEO of Tehran Water and Wastewater Company]. We visited the exhibition of many artefacts for water and sewage and treatment plants. It is interesting to build all these tools that were imported in the past.

Mr. [Bijan Namdar] Zanganeh, [Minister of Energy] and [Gholamreza] Manouchehri, [Deputy Minister of Energy for Water and Sewerage Affairs], gave explanations for water and sewerage programs. I also talked about the importance of sewage for people's health and comfort, and saving money to preserve underground water, as well as the use of waste water, employment and industry. Then we went, we saw Manhole.

We went to my office. I did the work. In the evening, in the meeting of the government board, we had several resolutions; including the re-evaluation of companies, considering the growth of prices and the difference in exchange rates and goods, in order to modify the structure and increase the share of the facility reserve and investment.

MPs and ministers were my guests at Iftar. The congregational prayer was led by me. They brought many letters. After breaking the fast, we discussed with Dr. [Hasan] Rohani, [Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council], about the election issues and also the statements of Mr. Yeltsin's adviser, [Russian President], about a possible US attack on Iran.