Another step that will contribute to the irrigation of the cultivated lands from Corinth to Kiato took place yesterday, with the signing of the contract for the Study of the Asopos Dam Irrigation Projects, at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, in the presence of the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Christos Staikouras. the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, responsible for Infrastructure, Nikos Tahiaou, the Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy, Nikos Tagaras, the Deputy Minister of Culture, responsible for Contemporary Culture, Christos Dimas and the Regional Governor of Peloponnese, Dimitris Ptohou.

The contract, with a budget of approximately 5.6 million euros, has as its object the drafting of hydraulic works studies, including those related to the safety of the dam, as well as electromechanical, agricultural, environmental, topographic, soil, geological, geophysical, geotechnical, static and economic studies.

The aim of the study is the construction of a modern, pressurized irrigation network in coastal northern lowland Corinthia up to Kiato. At the same time, it aims at the artificial enrichment of the aquifers of coastal northern Corinthia.

At the same time, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, after taking over the relevant authority, is intensively promoting the completion of the necessary procedures, so that after securing the additional credits from the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, the completion of the dam will take place around the same time upon completion of said study.

With the operation of the dam, whose reservoir will have a capacity of approximately 30.2 million cubic meters of water and the accompanying networks, it is estimated that approximately 50,000 acres of arable land will be irrigated in the area from Corinth to Kiato.

The construction of the project is estimated to contribute to:

* In the significant saving of water resources used for irrigation, which is currently carried out poorly, with surface, mainly, methods, in the coastal area.

* Facilitating the application and automation of irrigation, saving at the same time a significant amount of man-hours and financial resources.

* To reduce the cost of production of the agricultural products of the region, especially those exported (eg Stimagas grapes).

* To improve the supply and quality of water, with which the coastal settlements of the Municipality of Velos-Vochas are irrigated.