Tehran, Aug 14 (IANS): Iranian President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated a vast irrigation and draining project in the Western provinces of Ilam and Kermanshah.

"One of our wishes during the (Iran-Iraq) war was that the people of the frontier areas can put to use their lands in the best manner, and that wish has become a reality today," Rouhani was quoted by the official news agency IRNA as saying at the online event on Thursday.

The Iranian president announced that the Warm Zone System project, including the irrigation and drainage of 23,000 hectares of fertile land along 400 km of the Iran-Iraq border in Kermanshah and Ilam provinces, was put to use from now on, Xinhua news agency reported.

The plains of Ezgeleh, Jagiran, Zahab North, Zahab South and Qaraviz in Kermanshah are now within the framework of the Warm Zone System, and their residents will see the areas flourish, Rouhani promised.

He said he is hopeful that 35,000 more hectares of land will be added under the project before the end of the Iranian year in March 2021.

Rouhani also underscored the importance of guaranteeing Iran's food security in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic, as "different countries have become sensitive" to food exports and supplies.

Having suffered for decades from the aftermath of the war, the farmers under the Warm Zone System project will now be able to collect two or three crops a year, the Iranian president added.