Iran’s Road and Urban Development Minister: Incorrectly Built Structures Blocked Waterways
Iran’s Minister of Road and Urban Development has stated that due to faulty construction, recent floods have flowed toward cities and villages instead of following waterways, causing significant destructive power. He says that Iran’s rivers were not dredged in time.
Mohammad Eslami, Iran’s Minister of Road and Urban Development, spoke on Thursday, Farvardin 15 (April 4), following a cabinet meeting with the Leader of the Islamic Republic, regarding the causes of severe flood damage in Iran. This session was dedicated to reviewing the consequences and damages of widespread floods across Iran.
The road minister, noting that the country’s infrastructure was unprepared for such severe flooding, stated: “Most rivers had not been dredged. If they had been dredged, this would not have happened. Several bridges collapsed. These are bridges where water struck from different directions. The bridge’s support rests on a pier that it is mounted on. Due to encroachment on the rivers, these bridges were damaged.”
The road minister also stated that rivers in Golestan Province had not been dredged either: “The sediment flow from the Caspian Sea runs from west to east and reaches the Caspian heel, which is where two rivers meet; all sediments have accumulated there.”
Converting Waterways into Roads and Streets
The road minister, in an interview with media outlets, including “Khabar Online,” stated that the flood’s destructive power was partly due to waterways being blocked. He said: “For example, what happened in Shiraz. Water was flowing in its path; we converted waterways into roads and streets. Water was naturally flowing toward the river; we obstructed the water’s path.”
The road minister emphasized that many scientific and technical requirements in Iran’s urban planning have not been observed, and many roads, highways, and bridges have been built with low clearance levels that easily go underwater when floods occur.
According to the road minister, during the recent floods, countless village roads were destroyed, and there were “500 sites of mountain landslides and erosion.” He added that approximately 50,000 residential units were damaged in the floods and need to be constructed or repaired.
Mohammad Eslami stated that officials are making efforts to create secondary and temporary routes for passage. He added: “At three in the morning the day before yesterday (Tuesday), colleagues succeeded in opening the first alternative route to Pol-e Doktar.” According to him, rescue forces are currently working at Pol-e Doktar.
Source: DW
