Flood Stricken Locals in Sistan and Baluchestan Stuck Without Potable Water

International Liberty Association: More than two weeks after severe flooding in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, nearly 80% of the flood stricken locals lack access to potable water. This was acknowledged by a representative of the Health Ministry’s nursing directorate.

Speaking with the state-run IRNA news agency Saeed Lak said on Monday, “Only some 23 per cent of the people residing in the flooded regions have access to clean drinking water. In general and in normal conditions, for the majority of people in this region is difficult to obtain clean water to drink.”
Damages in the flood-hit areas have been extensive.

In normal conditions and prior to the floods, people used to consume water collected in reservoirs. Many of such reservoirs, however, have been destroyed in the flash floods. People are worried and complain about lack of potable water. They do not have water for bathing, either.

Citing an official in the Provincial Governorate of Sistan and Baluchestan, IRNA reported that “the water of 60 villages is still cut off.” Mansour Bijar, deputy for coordination of construction affairs in the Governorate of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, told this to a Crisis Management meeting on 21 January, 2020.

Floods have claimed at least three lives, ravaged dozens of villages, and killed thousands of animals since early January in the province of Sistan and Baluchistan of southeast Iran.

The Iranian regime has taken no measures to mitigate the damage from the flood and to protect the people of the region. Even after the flood, Iranian authorities have not engaged in relief efforts.

According to Resalat state-run newspaper on 18 January, “The General Manager of Meteorology has emphasized that they time and again warned authorities about the overflow of dams in numerous discussions and Crisis Management sessions, but unfortunately, the local Water Organization did not take them seriously to empty dams’ capacities. The result was the overflow of four dams.”

Arman state-run newspaper also wrote on 19 January, “Governments normally do not allocate any budget for dredging the rivers… Experts say that dredging the rivers costs $350m.”

“Analysis shows that overflow of four dams in flood-affected areas of Sistan and Baluchestan and the negligence in watershed management projects played a major role in the damage increase,” wrote the state-run Khabar Fori website on 20 January.

ILA: Khabar Fori also cited Shahbakhsh Gorgij, a member of the High Council of Provinces, saying, “In 2007-2008, the Guno Storm destroyed the region’s dam. While the dam could be reconstructed in a week, but the government has not repaired it after 13 years. This dam could decrease 70 percent of the damages.”

---