Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, December 21, 2019—People of various areas in Khuzestan Province in southwest Iran are surrounded by water and many were seen taking to their rooftops on Friday, December 20. During these cold winter nights, many are forced to sleep in plastic tents. During the day locals, left without any help from authorities, are desperate to find a way to rid their homes of the floodwaters. This further proves people’s lives mean nothing to the ruling mullahs’ regime in Iran.
Following four days of rains and floods, the circumstances of residents in the Ahvaz University district is described as dreadful. Such conditions pose major health risks for the locals, especially with sewage waters rising.
“… From 1997 to this day we are flooded each year. However, there is no one to provide any help for us. What are we to do? Please provide us some help,” a mother says while weeping. “We want authorities to come and at least fix the sewage system. Our children need bathrooms. What are we to do?”
Iranian opposition President Maryam Rajavi, head of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), issued a message of sympathy with the flood-hit areas of Ahvaz.
“My deepest sympathies go out to the people of Khuzestan, Fars, Bushehr, Mahshahr and other flood-hit regions, and to those who have lost their homes. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. Iran’s wealth is being plundered by the ruling mullahs and spent on terrorism, belligerence and anti-patriotic missile and nuclear programs, leaving our people defenseless in the face of natural disasters. The only way to end this pain and suffering and the calamities inflicted on the people of Iran is the overthrow of the clerical regime in its entirety and establishment of democracy and popular sovereignty,” Madam Rajavi said.
My deepest sympathies go out to the people of Khuzestan, Fars, Bushehr, Mahshahr and other flood-hit regions, and to those who have lost their homes. My heart-felt condolences to the families of the victims #Iran
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) 17 December 2019
Read more:
Recent seasonal rains across many provinces of the south and southwest Iran have caused massive floods and rising water levels especially in the city of Ahvaz. State media in Iran are reporting the deaths of four women in “Khomeini Hospital” of Ahvaz.
December 16 – Heavy rains and floodwaters in Ahvaz and other cities of Khuzestan Province, southwest #Iran.pic.twitter.com/wUgkZEOoyN
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) 17 December 2019
The regime’s official IRNA news agency wired a report and cited the hospital chief. “Following recent rains and power outages in the hospital, four patients held in the intensive care unit of the hospital lost their lives. Despite the fact that energy power sources were available, it remains unclear why these people lost their lives,” the report reads. This is an obvious attempt by the mullahs’ regime to whitewash their mismanagement that leads to this tragic loss of life.
In another report, IRNA furthers its measures to justify this tragedy. “According to information obtained by IRNA, the four female patients hospitalized in the ICU of Khomeini Hospital in Ahvaz lost their lives due to unknown reasons. These four women were above the age of 70 and hospitalized in this section due to breathing disorders,” the report adds.
The governor of Ahvaz resorted to hideous remarks saying, “Initial remarks made by the hospital chief indicates these were patients in which doctors had lost hope in them.”
Instead of providing answers and being held accountable over the death of four female patients held in the intensive care unit, Iranian regime officials are more focused on muddying the waters and keeping a lid on the true reason behind these four deaths. This further explains the hideous nature of the mullahs’ regime ruling Iran.
Flash floods overtook Iran's provinces including Golestan and Mazandaran provinces in March 2019. At the cusp of the Iranian New Year celebrations, Golestan and Mazandaran provinces faced one of the worst floods in their history.
The flood started after two days of heavy rainfall. According to the government stats, over 9 people were killed, including 2 children. More than 10,000 houses were caught in the floods; 70 communicative roads were cut off, and 23,000 people were trapped in the floods.
"The damage to the agricultural sector is estimated at $315 million in Golestan and Mazandaran province,” said Mohammad Mousavi, secretary of the Crisis Management and Risk Mitigation Office.
The Iranian Regime did nothing to protect the people despite warnings by the weather organization.
According to Entekhab state-run news agency, Manaf Hashemi, the governor of Golestan went on vacation abroad during the flood crisis.
The Iranian regime’s relief efforts were very limited, and most of the help to Iran flood 2019 victims came from voluntary aid by fishermen and farmers.
What were the reasons for the Golestan/Mazandaran floods?
April 27 – Aq Qala, Golestan Province, northeast #Iran
A month after the previous floods, new floodwaters are returning to the city & there is no sign of state aid.#IranFloods pic.twitter.com/OfbVqd2BUj— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) 27 April 2019
The reason wasn’t the heavy rainfall alone, and the floods could have been easily managed.
One of the main reasons is deforestation and the looting of the natural resources of northern Iran by the regime officials and its organizations including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The reasons for deforestation by the Iranian regime’s elements and officials are:
-Profiteering from selling wood;
-Constructing expensive houses for regime officials;
-Razing the forest to use the land for building factories.
The head of Mazandaran Natural Resources Department Vajihollah Mousavi exposed that, "We can see the villas pop up in faraway lands of Mazandaran owned by a former MPs or high-ranking officials… These villas have been raised in the middle of untouched country land and mountains."
In 2012 FAO declared that Iran's forests are being destroyed at a higher speed than everywhere in the world.
"Iran's northern forest reduced by 50% since 40 years ago. When we destroyed half of the forests, then rainfall is no more a gift but every rainfall strikes a flood,” said Massoud Molana, a member of the Coordinating Council of National Natural Resources."
The ISNA state-run news agency also quoted Anoushiravan Najafi, deputy chief of the natural environment in the Environment Protection Organization, saying, "6,603 acres of Iran's northern forests are completely being destroyed every year.”
The second factor that played an essential role in Golestan/Mazandaran floods was Iranian regime authorities refraining from dredging dams and rivers.
"Sediments have filled Golestan dams, but authorities haven't taken any measure to dredge up dams. The result was that dams could not hold the floods and quickly overflow, releasing the flood toward populated lands.” (State-run news website Rouydad24)
As an example, half of the Voshmgir dam had been filled with sediments. The regime was supposed to solve the dam's problems during a 5-year time table since 2008, but after 10 years, just 15% of the project has been fulfilled.
A simple study in the Iranian Regime's budget shows the regime's priorities. Figures clarify that not only the mullahs aren’t trying to improve Iranian people's welfare, but they’re also spending the country's wealth and budget to preserve their dictatorship:
IRGC's budget for suppression and expansion of terrorism: $4.8 billion
The regime's financial helps to Lebanese Hezbollah: $800 million
Iran's mullahs' educational center: $644 million
Iran's natural resources budget: $77.5 million
The budget needed for improvement of Voshmgir dam in Golestan: $13 million
Therefore, as long as this dictatorship exists, such disasters will recur.
