Floods Bring Destruction In Drought-Stricken Iran

Two people have died and one is missing in recent floods, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, amid more than decade-long drought in the country.

The head of the Rescue and Relief organization provided information regarding flood operations from November 2nd to 11th.

Babak Mahmoudi reported that more than 2,600 people in 13 different provinces in Iran were affected by flooding and received relief.

Furthermore, two people were reported dead in Golestan province, north of Iran, and a 40-year-old woman had gone missing in Semnan province.

The Red Crescent official announced they provided relief to 2,603 people, relocated 68 people to safe areas, and provided emergency accommodation to 270 individuals.

A recent report by World Weather Attribution stated that the drought which lasted 36 months from July 2020 to June 2023 in Iran, Iraq, and Syria, was “the second worst in the observed record.” However, Iran has been increasingly facing less precipitation since the early 2000s and its underground water resources have significantly declined.

According to the study, war and post-war transition, rapid urbanization in the face of limited technical capacity, and regional instability all contributed to the negative outcomes of the drought in the region. At the time of the report, the Ukraine war significantly affected food and energy prices. There is a possibility that the situation will deteriorate due to the ongoing Gaza war.

The Iranian regime has come under harsh criticism for its mismanagement of the environment, especially its water resources, as well as the treatment of activists in this field. Recent years have seen a number of Iranian environmentalists convicted of espionage for the US and UK governments and sentenced to prison.