Amid the unprecedented heavy rains across the country, Rouhani called on the interior minister and the governors of the western and southern provinces on Sunday to use all the equipment and facilities for saving the lives of people who are facing floods.
He also stressed the need to use the communication and technical capacities to issue timely warnings and raise awareness on heavy rains and the likelihood of flooding and spillovers, particularly in river banks and downstream of dams, as well as river floods.
Heavy rains, which triggered raging torrents of water in 25 of Iran’s 31 provinces on March 19, have so far claimed the lives of as many as 45 people across Iran.
A state of emergency has been declared in the southwestern Iranian province of Khuzestan amid threats of fresh flooding; the declaration of emergency had been approved by the interior minister.
According to Khuzestan’s Governor-General Gholamreza Shariati, the emergency situation was announced after weather forecasts showed that the provinces lying to Khuzestan’s north were to witness heavy downpours over the next 24 hours, leading to heavy amounts of water moving downstream into Khuzestan and potentially causing rivers there to overflow their banks.
Five major rivers lay across the oil-rich province, multiplying the threat of flooding. according to reports, 55 villages lying close to these rivers have been evacuated.
Shariati said preemptive measures had been taken for the proper management of the quantity of water in dam reservoirs, the prevention of any casualties, and the minimization of damage. He also predicted that the situation would return to normal by the weekend as rainfall potentially subsides in nearby provinces.
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