Ahvaz struggles with floods; 230 villages in Khuzestan evacuated

Ahvaz spent the past day and night in fear of flooding. However, most of the city has remained safe from the risk of flooding. Currently, only one area of ​​Ahvaz is flooded. However, 230 villages in Khuzestan have been evacuated due to flooding.

Yesterday afternoon (Wednesday, April 11), when the Salman Canal dam broke, Karkheh water was diverted towards Ahvaz, putting the metropolis at risk of flooding. However, it seems that the efforts of the people and municipal authorities to save Ahvaz in the past hours have prevented the flood from entering major parts of the city.

Alireza Alipour, Deputy Director of Urban Services of Ahvaz Municipality, told ISNA news agency on Thursday morning (April 11) that currently only the "Ain 2" area of ​​Ahvaz is flooded.

Alipour added: "During this period, with the good forecasting of the Water and Electricity Organization, the flow of the Karun River was predictable in advance, and accordingly, we increased the height of the floodgates and reached an acceptable level of safety, so that the difference in level between the floodgates and the river was always one meter to 50 centimeters."

Jamal Alemi, the governor of Ahvaz, also said, "There is no danger threatening Ahvaz, and the only problem that has arisen in Ahvaz is the overflow of water from Elhayi and Hamidieh into Ahvaz, which is being managed and is not a cause for concern."

According to Jamal Alemi, Ahvaz is not threatened by the Karun River. Despite the fact that the Karun River's flow reached a high level, the flood barriers were strong enough.

Evacuation of 230 villages in Khuzestan

However, flooding in Khuzestan has forced the evacuation of hundreds of villages. According to Ali Khodadadi, CEO of the Khuzestan Red Crescent Society, at least 230 villages have been evacuated in the past two weeks.

Khodadadi told ISNA that since April 24, the cities of Behbahan, Lali, Gotvand, Izeh, Shushtar, Baghmalek, Haftkal, Abadan, Shadegan, Hoveyzeh, Ramhormoz, Andimeshk, Andika, Bavi, Masjed-e-Soleman, Dezful, Shush, Ahvaz, Dasht-e Azadegan, and Karun have been affected by floods.

According to him, the floods have subsided in some cities, while in some areas there are still floods and their consequences. Areas of the cities of Shushtar, Ahvaz, Dasht-e Azadegan, Shush, Bavi, Hamidieh, Karun, and Shadegan are severely affected by the floods.

However, Ali Asghar Peyvandi, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, who traveled to Khuzestan with the Interior Minister to directly monitor the flood crisis management process, wrote in a tweet about the current situation in Khuzestan: "The situation has not yet reached a critical stage, but it is worrying."

Warning of torrential rains in 14 provinces

While large parts of Iran are still reeling from the aftermath of the floods of the past two weeks, the National Crisis Headquarters announced in a statement on Thursday that a new rain system has arrived in the western parts of the country. The rain system will enter Iran on the afternoon of Friday, April 13, and will affect 14 provinces of the country for three days.

According to the announcement of the National Crisis Headquarters on Saturday, April 14, rain accompanied by showers and thunderstorms is predicted in the provinces of Mazandaran, Golestan, Bushehr, Fars, Qom, Yazd, and Isfahan, and in the provinces of Hormozgan, west and south of Kerman, and the southern half of Sistan and Baluchestan, rain accompanied by showers, thunderstorms, and temporary strong winds are predicted.

On Sunday, April 15, rain accompanied by showers and thunderstorms will occur in the provinces of Golestan, Mazandaran, and North Khorasan, and rain accompanied by showers and thunderstorms and temporary strong winds will occur in the provinces of Semnan, the eastern half of Isfahan, Khorasan Razavi, South Khorasan, Yazd, East Fars, Kerman, the eastern half of Hormozgan, and Sistan and Baluchestan.

On Monday, April 16, rain is forecast in the provinces of Golestan, North Khorasan, Razavi Khorasan, and southeast of Kerman, and rain accompanied by thunderstorms and temporary strong winds are forecast in northern South Khorasan, northern Yazd, and the northern half of Sistan and Baluchestan.

Comprehensive flood crisis management is the responsibility of the Minister of Interior.

On Thursday, President Hassan Rouhani also emphasized in an order to Interior Minister Rahmani Fazli: "The comprehensive management of the recent flood crisis is the responsibility of the Interior Minister, and cumbersome regulations should not prevent all institutions from cooperating in this important incident."

According to the Presidential Information Center, Hassan Rouhani's order states: "The comprehensive management of the recent flood crisis (prevention, preparedness, response, reconstruction, rehabilitation, coordination, and division of labor) in the executive agencies and all cooperating and effective institutions and organizations is the responsibility of the Minister of Interior (acting head of the Supreme Council for Crisis Management of the country)."

Rouhani also wrote in his directive: "All ministries, government organizations and institutions, military and law enforcement forces, judicial and public non-governmental institutions are obligated to cooperate and strictly implement the orders and programs issued by the Minister of Interior."

Source: DW