Floods in Sistan and Baluchestan; In the absence of officials, flood-affected people are providing relief themselves
Following the flooding in Sistan and Baluchestan province, reports indicate that the communication routes between 500 villages and towns in the province are still cut off, and that very heavy damage has been caused to the flooded areas.
Iranian media reported on Monday, January 13, that communication routes to 500 villages, towns, and cities in Sistan and Baluchestan remain cut off, and while the only way to deliver aid is by air, no relief efforts have been made.
The cities of Delgan, Nikshahr, Khash, Delgan, Konarak, Saravan, Dashtiari Chabahar, Zarabad, Konarak, and the surrounding villages are among the areas that have suffered extensive damage in this flood.
According to reports and published images, people in their flooded areas are trying to help each other with empty hands.
ISNA also reported that "a shortage of relief equipment and Red Crescent manpower is being felt in Sistan and Baluchestan." Criticism of the Red Crescent's performance has also been expressed by MP Alireza Salimi to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
He said in this regard, "Mr. President, Sistan and Baluchestan has been flooded and the people are in trouble; the Red Crescent should come to the aid of the people; did they tell you that the Red Crescent has no chairman? Someone shouted that the Red Crescent has no chairman?"
The General Directorate of Road Transport and Highways of Sistan and Baluchestan also reported that 16 highways in Sistan and Baluchestan are still closed due to snow, rain, and flooded rivers.
Official reports of the damage to Sistan and Baluchestan province have not been published, and Aziz Sarani, a representative of the people of Sistan and Baluchestan in the Supreme Council of Provinces, said in response to the weakness in relief efforts: "What has happened as a disaster in this province is the lack of relief and assistance to the affected people of this province after 72 hours."
Sarani pointed out that water and electricity have currently been cut off throughout the province, adding: "If the people in various villages are affected by the floods, any food supplies they had have run out by now."
He stressed that "if this problem continues and relief efforts are not accelerated, we will face a major crisis."
Also, following recent heavy rainfall, several villages in Jask County, Hormozgan Province, have been flooded, resulting in flooding of roads, closure of ports, and blockage of some transportation routes in the province. Reports indicate that damage has been caused to the province's infrastructure in the areas of roads, bridges, agriculture, urban affairs, and buildings.
The recurrence of flooding and inundation after rainfall in various provinces in Iran comes at a time when the officials and managers of the Islamic Republic have not taken effective action to prevent flooding and inundation and reduce damages in various cities.
Environmental crises in Iran have long attracted the attention of the international community. US officials have also repeatedly warned against the mismanagement of Iran's natural resources, widespread deforestation, and unnecessary and unplanned dam construction aimed at lining the pockets of corrupt officials of the Islamic Republic regime, citing it as one of the main factors behind various environmental crises, including devastating floods and unprecedented droughts.
For example, not long ago, Brian Hook, the US Special Representative for Iran, pointed out that 600 dams have been built in Iran "without any environmental assessment" after the revolution, and announced that the Islamic Republic regime has destroyed the country's water resources through mismanagement over the past forty years.
Source: Voice of America
