Torrential rains last week combined with dust pollutions caused blackouts across
Khuzestan. The downpours also caused floods in other southern provinces.
Touching upon the latest floods in southern Iran, the Leader said "flooding is a
great calamity” that inflicts heavy losses upon people and their families,
adding that government officials have a duty to provide aid to the
flood-stricken people.
The officials, he said, who have people on their minds, cannot be indifferent in
the face of such hardships.
Ayatollah Khamenei also described the current situation in Khuzestan "truly
heartbreaking”, stressing that the authorities are required to put their best
efforts to find a solution.
Due to its arid climate, Khuzestan has, for many years, been suffering from dust
pollutions that made it very difficult for its citizens to breathe once in a
while. The dust storms that frequently hit Khuzestan are said to originate in
Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.
The Leader of the Revolution called on the government officials to stop blaming
the previous administrations and make concerted efforts in order to find
solutions to the environmental problems of the southwestern province.
According to Iran’s Health Ministry, at least 80,000 people die in Iran annually
as a result of environmental pollution.
Eleven cities in Khuzestan faced power outage after last week’s intense dust
storm, leading to water shortages when water treatment plants went offline.
On Saturday, President Rouhani attended an emergency session of the Crisis
Management Center in Tehran, where he ordered Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri,
Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli and Khuzestan Governor Gholamreza
Shariati to find a solution to the province’s problems as soon as possible.
Rouhani also expressed sympathy with the people of Khuzestan and assured them
that the government was determined to deal with the environmental issues.
source: Tehran times