Khash, Delgan, and Taftan Borderland Villages Surrounded by Floods
Flooding in Sistan and Baluchestan has cut off communication with 350 villages and damaged bridges and water and electricity networks. Rural residents and nomads need food, fuel, and blankets, but the Red Crescent’s resources are insufficient. The risk of mud house roof collapse is high.
Two days of heavy rainfall and overflowing rivers have caused widespread damage to infrastructure in Sistan and Baluchestan Province. The province’s roads director states that access roads to 90 villages on the outskirts of Taftan and Mirjaveh have been cut off. The head of the Red Crescent’s relief and rescue organization reports the death of one person in Bashagerd and the disappearance of another citizen in Rask county.
According to ISNA news agency, Khash and Delgan counties and villages on the outskirts of Taftan are surrounded by floods, with residents of some cities and villages submerged up to their chests in water: “The Red Crescent’s resources are insufficient for relief operations because there are not enough adequate facilities and infrastructure to reopen rural roads and provide services to flood victims in the deprived areas of the province.”
The governor of Qasrqand announced that 40 villages in the county are surrounded by water and cut off from the outside. He also reported the collapse of 30 power poles in the county.
The governor of Delgan reports extensive material and infrastructure damage, loss of livestock and herds, and serious damage to residential units, farmland, and agricultural machinery. He stated that 117 millimeters of rain fell in the county, while the province’s average annual rainfall is 113 millimeters.
The governor of Sarbaaz also reported that the county’s connection to Chabahar port has been cut due to seasonal river flooding and said over 200 villages in Sarbaaz have no contact with the county center. It was announced that with insistence from village headmen and councils, residents were able to evacuate their mud houses in time.
The governor of Delgan mentioned the region’s need for relief teams and essential supplies, saying that in some areas water has swept away residents’ belongings and villagers and nomads need food: “The weather is turning cold and we need heating supplies including blankets and heaters as well as special distribution of kerosene. The distribution of drinking water, bread, and flour is also vital.”
According to ISNA, citing the district chief of Irandegan in Khash: “On average, about 90 millimeters of rain fell in this district and currently there are risks of landslides and roof collapse of old, mud brick houses.”
The governor of Khash announced there is no danger to Mehran Dam, but heavy rain has destroyed dozens of protective walls and earthen dams in the county. Due to heavy snowfall, the transit route from Khash to Zahedan is extremely slippery.
The head of Iran’s National Center for Drought and Crisis Management at the Meteorological Organization attributed the change in rainfall patterns in southern Iran to two factors: “climate variability” and “climate change.”
Source: DW
