Flood Warning Issued for 10 Iranian Provinces Amid Ongoing Flooding in Golestan Province
While many areas in Golestan Province in northern Iran remain underwater days after a devastating flood, the Ministry of Power and the Meteorological Organization have issued warnings of potential flooding in 10 provinces across the country.
MirMohammad Gharavi, the acting governor of Golestan Province, who was appointed on Saturday evening, the third day of Farvardin, following the removal of Manaf Hashemi from his post as governor of Golestan, announced at a crisis management coordination meeting that two-thirds of Aqqala city is now underwater and the roads of this county are surrounded by floodwaters.
Additionally, as a result of the floods, the drinking water network of 58 villages was cut off, and Gharavi stated that the problem in 28 villages has been resolved so far, while three villages still face power outages.
Some reports indicate that the Gomishan axis, among other flood-affected areas in the province, has also been blocked toward Aqqala due to floodwater flow.
The delayed response of government institutions to the flooding in Golestan Province, the accountability of officials, and the presence of the Golestan governor on a foreign trip sparked considerable criticism. This issue led to the removal of the governor by the First Vice President.
The continuation of the flood crisis in Golestan Province comes as the Meteorological Organization predicted heavy rainfall in some areas of Iran on Sunday, and the Minister of Power announced that warnings of potential flooding have been issued to 10 provinces including Bushehr, West Azerbaijan, Khuzestan, Lorestan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Fars, Hormozgan, North Razavi Khorasan, and Razavi Khorasan.
Meanwhile, Salman Samani, spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Interior, announced the formation of crisis management headquarters in five provinces of Lorestan, Khuzestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Ilam, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and the alert status of governors.
Floodwaters in Mazandaran, Golestan, and North Khorasan over the past days have claimed at least 9 lives.
