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Iran: Environmental Crises Worsen Because of Regime’s Misconduct

Iran: Environmental Crises Worsen Because of Regime's Misconduct

By Shahriar Kia

The Iranian regime has been spreading its influence across the region for years. It has spent billions on fuelling conflicts, supporting terrorist militias and proxy groups and generally wreaking havoc. The people of Iran have lost out on so much as their wealth has been plundered.

As well as neglecting its own people, the Iranian regime has neglected its own environment. The country’s environmental issues are huge and environmentalists have been warning about the permanent damage that it is provoking either through its mismanagement or through its neglect.

Parts of the country have been devastated by a decades-long drought, only made worse by the policies that allow excessive water pumping. One area that is particularly affected is just outside the national’s capital, Tehran.

Reports indicate that there is a massive bit of land that is literally sinking. There are also huge cracks in the ground that can be seen from the air. Officials claim that what they describe as “land subsistence” is a major threat.

Already there have been massive protests in the country because of the scarcity of water.

Experts say that the rapid growth of the capital city is a major concern because of this land subsistence and it could have devastating consequences. Waste water pipes, electricity routes, gas pipes, and so on, will all be affected by this phenomenon.

Residents in some of the badly affected areas have real concerns about how the crisis will evolve. They can already see cracks along the walls in buildings and waterpipes have already been damaged. This could mean that buildings may collapse, especially those that have been badly built (of which there are very many).

Authorities in the country say that 22 centimetres of annual subsidence has been noted around Tehran. To put this into context, the normal range would go no more than 3 centimetres per year. Mohammad Darvish, an Iranian environmental activist, said: “In European countries, even 4 millimeters (0.15 inches) of yearly subsidence is considered a crisis.”

Numerous vital structures rest on areas that are sinking. The oil refinery in Tehran, major manufacturing plants, important roadways and railways, and the city’s international airports are only some of them. Not forgetting the two million Iranians that live in the area too.

The Iranian regime is going to have a hard time finding a solution to the problems that it has essentially created. The political mismanagement and widespread corruption, as well as the decades of tough sanctions, are not issues that can be resolved overnight. And the regime is clearly not prepared to abandon its exploits abroad meaning that it will continue to funnel its money outside the country.

The people of Iran are calling for regime change because they want their situation to stop getting worse. Not only are they suffering the consequences of the economic crisis, but they are also suffering the effects of the regime’s neglect. They know that the situation will continue to decline for as long as the regime has control.