Sar-e-Pul Zahab Representative: The Situation of Aid to Earthquake Victims is Not Appropriate
The representative of Sar-e-Pul-Zahab and Qasr-e-Shirin in the Islamic Consultative Assembly criticized the actions of the Red Crescent Organization, the Housing Foundation, and the Ministry of Oil in helping earthquake victims in these areas.
Farhad Tajari, in an interview with Tasnim News Agency on Thursday, February 10, said that given that Kermanshah province is "considered one of the most affected provinces in the country," the Red Crescent Organization "has not been able to act as it should, or perhaps well, in providing relief to earthquake victims."
Without giving details, he also criticized the Ministry of Oil, adding that given the cold weather, "one of the main needs of the people is fuel supply, and we have witnessed shortcomings in this area as well from the Ministry of Oil."
The representative also criticized the Housing and Urban Development Foundation for what he called "wrong planning," adding that due to the foundation's performance, "some people are still living without housing and in tents."
As the Sar-e-Pul-Zahab representative said, "In some villages where the Housing Foundation has committed to building housing, many are still deprived of having housing."
According to Tajari, in the field of building permanent houses, due to "the Housing Foundation's insistence on using traditional materials, the process of building houses is proceeding very slowly."
He described this issue as a cause of "dissatisfaction" among the people of the region, and in return, he praised the Revolutionary Guard's efforts to build a permanent wall in the area.
The representative added that "using advanced materials, the IRGC has been able to build and deliver permanent houses to the people at the cheapest cost within 15 to 20 days."
He added that despite "efforts that have been made so far to improve the situation of the earthquake-affected people of Sar-e-Pul-Zahab and its surrounding villages, the people of these areas are still living in very difficult conditions due to the unbearable cold of Kermanshah province."
Previously, Shahab Naderi, a representative of Paveh and Ormanat in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, had reported "the deaths of several children" in the earthquake-hit areas of Kermanshah province, referring to the severe cold in the winter.
While Kermanshah Governor Houshang Bazvand had previously said that there were "no deaths" due to frostbite in the earthquake-hit areas, Mr. Naderi said that an eight-month-old child died due to "convulsions and fever caused by the cold, and this was confirmed in his death certificate."
The Paveh representative also reported 97 cases of "suicide" attempts in the region after the earthquake and said that the situation of "pregnant women" in the Paveh and Ormanat regions is very poor.
Shahab Naderi, referring to the fact that "promises by officials" to provide housing or five million tomans in loans to earthquake victims in some areas have not been fulfilled, said that some earthquake victims do not have access to "sanitary services" and some of them "have not taken a bath for 70 days."
Mohsen Farhadi, technical deputy director of the Environmental and Occupational Health Center of the Ministry of Health, also announced on February 12 that the construction of sanitary facilities in the earthquake-hit areas of Kermanshah province has not yet been completed.
Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, a representative from Islamabad West, has also criticized the "pressure" banks are putting on residents of earthquake-hit areas to repay their loans, calling for President Hassan Rouhani's intervention to resolve the issue.
The 7.3-magnitude earthquake in Kermanshah that struck on November 11, 2017, killed more than 600 people and destroyed the homes of tens of thousands of people.
However, in the more than three months since the earthquake, many reports have been published in the media and social networks about the shortcomings and criticisms of the people of the region.
Source: Radio Farda
