Mohammad Taghi Tavakkoli added that the dam, which would be constructed over Assal Shah River was a step forward in developing the province. He noted that implementation of the project started in 2002 and had so far progressed 36 percent. "Some 10 billion tomans (100 billion rials) has been allocated to construction of the dam and related networks, 2 billion tomans (20 billion rials) of which has already been attracted," he said. Tavakkoli stated that the lake behind Khan Abad Dam would have an area of 11,500 cu. m. and is capable of storing about 18 million cu. m. water. "The dam would irrigate 2,000 hectares dry farming lands around Shapour township and create 700 jobs," he noted.