Flood damage in Iran: 76 dead and 20 trillion tomans in damage
So far, 76 people have lost their lives in the floods. According to available statistics, the floods have caused about 20 trillion tomans in damage so far. Several provinces in southern Iran are still at risk of flooding. Flooding is currently ongoing in Kerman province.
According to the latest announcement by the Iranian Forensic Medicine Organization on April 15, five people have lost their lives in flood incidents in Khuzestan Province and one in Ilam Province; these people were victims of floods in the cities of Masjed-e Soleiman, Shushtar, Elhaei, Pol-e Dokhtar, and Ahvaz. This brings the death toll from the recent floods in Iran to 76.
Most of the flood victims were from Fars, Khuzestan, and Lorestan provinces.
According to the latest warnings from the Iranian Meteorological Organization, with the arrival of a new precipitation system, there is still a possibility of flooding in the southern provinces of Iran on Sunday and Monday.
A devastating flood
From statistics presented by responsible officials in the Iranian parliament and reflected in news agencies, it appears that the floods in Iran have caused about 20 trillion tomans in damage so far.
In a public session of the Iranian parliament on Sunday (April 15) dedicated to examining the recent floods and rainfall, the ministers of the four ministries of the Interior, Power, Roads, and Agricultural Jihad were present, along with several other officials, and they presented reports on their areas of operation and activities related to the floods.
Mohammad Eslami, Minister of Roads and Urban Development, said that during the recent floods, about 11,000 technical structures (including bridges and waterways) were damaged and 725 bridges were completely destroyed.
He estimated the financial loss from the flood at 3.25 trillion tomans in damage to roads, railways, technical buildings, and road and urban development facilities.
He said that about 12,000 colleagues from the Ministry of Roads faced flooding in 24 provinces of the country from March 16 to April 17.
The Minister of Roads and Urban Development said: "In the recent flood, about 150,000 residential units in cities and villages were damaged, of which 50,000 units need to be rebuilt and 100,000 units need to be repaired and reconstructed."
Disaster for agriculture
Mahmoud Hojjati, Minister of Agricultural Jihad, estimated the total damage to producers in various subsectors of Iran's agricultural sector at 13 trillion tomans.
According to the Minister of Agricultural Jihad, the most damage has been inflicted on Khuzestan Province. The sub-sectors of agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, beekeeping, and poultry farming have suffered great damage.
Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian announced in parliament on Sunday morning that the floods of recent weeks have caused 2.10 trillion tomans in damage to water and electricity facilities.
The Minister of Energy announced that water supplies to 380 villages were cut off in the first days of the flooding, adding: "The total water and electricity losses can be estimated at 2,100 billion tomans."
Previously, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh had announced that Khuzestan's oil facilities had suffered damage of one trillion tomans during the flood.
The scourge of climate change
According to experts, some Iranian officials, who are "lacking scientific qualifications," have called the recent flood a "blessing and mercy" and expressed joy that it has put an end to the severe drought that has gripped the land.
But responsible institutions and scientific figures "reject this optimism from the foundation."
At a session of the Iranian parliament on Sunday, Sahar Tajbakhsh, head of the Meteorological Organization, stated that the recent flood was caused by the consequences of climate change and global warming.
Ms. Tajbakhsh emphasized that Iran is still affected by drought and has not entered the wet season. She added: "About 60 to 65 percent of the country is still affected by drought."
In this regard, Abbas Ranjbar, head of the Meteorological Research Institute, says: "In the future, we will have both very destructive and severe floods and widespread droughts, both heat waves and cold waves. Therefore, the recent rainfall is not a reason why we will not have a severe drought next year."
Speaking to ISNA News Agency about the Meteorological Research Institute's efforts to create flood forecasting and warning systems in watersheds, this expert said: "In 2017, we submitted a proposal to implement a flood forecasting and warning system in Shiraz to the relevant provincial authorities, but the necessary support was not provided."
Source: DW
