Floods Hit Large Swaths Of Drought-Stricken Iran

Floods caused by torrential rains have swept through drought-stricken Iran disrupting electricty and clean water in the worst-hit areas of the south and east.

Head of the crisis management taskforce of Hormozgan province said on Saturday that an eight-year-old girl was drowned by floodwater in Bandar Abbas. He added that about 30 villages lost power and a lot of roads are blocked, making rescue operations even harder and slower. Floods have also caused damage to agricultural lands, houses and infrastructure.

In the eastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, the flood has caused enormous material damage, leading to the closure of schools, shops and offices. The province was already suffering from lack of clean water amid a drought.

The director of the Bushehr meteorological office said on Saturday that heavy rain has caused seasonal rivers to overflow their banks which led to flooding of thoroughfares in several cities. He also spoke about serious damage to the farmlands and orchards.

Mehdi Valipour, the head of Iran’s Red Crescent Society, said on Friday that rescue operations were underway in about a dozen flood-stricken provinces.

Iran’s Meteorological Organization has predicted more rains, blizzards, thunderstorms, and hails for almost all the country in the next five days.