Land subsidence in Iran; Mashhad City Council member: The situation is "critical"
Hamid Zamiri, head of the Urban Planning and Architecture Commission of the Mashhad City Council, described the land subsidence situation in Mashhad as "critical" on Monday, January 10.
According to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), Hamid Zamiri said in this regard: "The Mashhad Plain is one of the areas where land subsidence has reached a critical stage and has caused problems for many construction projects."
This Mashhad City Council member cited the subsidence on the Tehran-Mashhad railway line as one of the clearest examples of the "dangers" of subsidence in this province, and considered this phenomenon the result of 30 years of "unauthorized extraction" of groundwater.
Iran has been struggling with the phenomenon of land subsidence for years, a phenomenon that environmental experts describe as a "silent time bomb," but despite these warnings, the Islamic Republic's officials have not taken significant action in this regard.
In addition to Khorasan Razavi Province, land subsidence in Tehran and Isfahan provinces has also accelerated in recent years, putting residential units and historical monuments at risk of destruction.
Over the past few years, news has been published about this destructive phenomenon many times. The most recent case was the evacuation of 12 residential units following land subsidence in Nasimshahr, Tehran, which made headlines on January 10 of this year.
In addition to the risk of buildings collapsing, land subsidence also causes damage to historical monuments, damage that may not be easy to repair.
Three months ago, the release of a video about the consequences of land subsidence in Isfahan made headlines, adding to concerns about the possibility of destruction of historical monuments in the province.
Apart from Tehran, Isfahan, and Khorasan Razavi, some other provinces, including Kerman Province, are also facing land subsidence and their situation is considered serious.
Experts consider "unauthorized well drilling" and "excessive groundwater extraction" to be among the causes of land subsidence in Iran.
Alireza Shahidi, head of the Geological Survey of Iran, described the subsidence situation in Iran in June of this year as a "silent earthquake."
Geologists and environmental experts say that the spread of this destructive phenomenon is the legacy of years of inattention by the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran to excessive extraction of groundwater and environmental issues.
Source: Voice of America
