Dust has cut off Sistan’s breath/ Sistanis breathe dangerous air for two-thirds of the year

According to the social reporter of Moj News Agency, the 16th meeting of the “National Headquarters for Dealing with the Dust Phenomenon of the Country” was held for the first time in a place other than Tehran and in the special governorate of Zabul city late last week.

Ali Selajgeh, the vice president and head of the Environmental Protection Organization as the head of this headquarters, considered the purpose of holding a meeting in Sistan to be that the representatives of various institutions come here in person and see with their own eyes the crisis that has arisen for the noble people of the province and the results. See your shortcomings.

For the people of Sistan, dust is mixed with the words air, breathing, eye and lung diseases, etc. Every breath that sinks is disturbing to the essence!

About two thirds of the year, the people of Sistan experience very unhealthy or dangerous weather seasoned with dust, and every day with the strong winds, different cities of this province are buried under sand. The intensity of these storms is so great that in a short period of time, even the surface of the roads is blocked and sand dunes are created in a fraction of an hour on the road of cars.

The dust storms of Sistan are caused by internal and external sources, the internal source is mainly the dry bed of the Hamoun lagoon and the external dust originates from Afghanistan and Pakistan. This dust increases especially during the 120-day wind blowing period of Sistan.

According to the residents of Zabul city, these winds, whose duration has reached 230 days in recent years, blessed the region before the drought of Hamon, because the wind blowing with such intensity from the watery Hamon wetland takes the coolness of the wetland to the cities and villages and for It was a source of life for the people of the region, but now and after the wetland has dried up, the winds only lift the dust from the wetland bed and bring sandstorms to the people of the region.

The main reasons for the drying up of the Hamon lagoon can be considered non-payment of taxes by Afghanistan, as well as climate changes and drought. Before Afghanistan blocked the entrance of water to Hamon from Hirmand and Farahroud due to the construction of Kamalkhan dams and the construction of Bakhshabad dam, water from these rivers entered the wetland and fed Hamon, but unfortunately after Afghanistan decided to supply the water to The wetland has completely dried up and this issue has disrupted the lives of the people of the region in Sistan and Baluchistan and the wetland-affected areas in Afghanistan and even Pakistan.

In addition to these two main cases, part of the centers of the dust crisis in the Sistan region are about 150 thousand hectares of abandoned agricultural lands due to the lack of water. In addition to that, a 26 km long canal was dug inside Hamon Lake to transfer water, which moved a large amount of soil and because it is located in the wind corridor; Therefore, the problem of dust in the area has intensified.

The Ministry of Energy facilitated the movement of dust in Hamon!

The Ministry of Energy has dug a 26-kilometer canal in the heart of the lagoon due to the implementation of the non-expert Hamon Sabouri project to provide drinking water, which has now become a corridor for moving dust as easily as possible.

While the conditions of Sistan-Baluchistan are getting worse every day and the dust affects the people of the region for about two-thirds of the days of the year with all kinds of eye, lung, respiratory and skin diseases, unfortunately, there is still no positive news about Iran’s water negotiations with the Afghan ruling body, and there is still no news about the release Iran’s claim to Hirmand, which is 820 million cubic meters per year based on the 1973 treaty, and Iran’s claim to Farahroud and the death of the Hamon wetland and the flooding of the wells in Sistan are not news.

Due to the non-fulfillment of Iran’s claim from the Hirmand River and also the blocking of the water entering Hamon Saburi from Farahrud by Afghanistan, the dry area of ​​Hamon and the semi-dried wells of Sistan have become a bed for dust, which is especially the case during the 120-day winds, compatriots Sistani is involved in all kinds of diseases and disrupts their lives.

Whether we breathe in this air or not, we will die!

In this context, Hojjat-ul-Islam Mojtabi Ashrafian, Friday imam of Nimroz city, who was present in the dry Hamon wetland along with Ali Selajgeh, the vice president and head of the environmental protection organization, said: The storm you see today occurs in our area for two-thirds of the year. It has caused our province to have the highest number of respiratory diseases.

He continued: “In this air, whether we breathe or not, we are doomed to die.” The concern of our people is the provision of water and the elimination of these conditions, which is not really a big demand.

The Imam of Nimroz city, referring to the statements of the Supreme Leader who considered Sistan as the Uhad Strait of Iran, said: The enemy’s plan is to empty this area and if the situation continues in the same way, Sistan will be deserted.

He said to the officials: We want you to find these people. These people are also first class citizens of our country. Please see them like the people of Tehran!

Moistening our floor is on the agenda

After the speeches of Imam Juma Nimroz, Ali Selajgeh, who listened to the complaints and requests of the people of Sistan, after hearing the pains of the people of Sistan, he said in the crowd of reporters: Representatives of various institutions with a field presence here saw the results of their work and in Indeed, a verification was done. If there was negligence, underwork or half-abandoned work, today the representatives of all the devices clearly saw the result.

Referring to his direct conversation with the people, he said: “The noble people of Sistan and Baluchistan province do not have any special expectations and their main concern is maintaining the system.” When we see the people of this province standing with their bravery and courage despite all the problems and defending the system, the revolution and the country, we feel our heavy responsibility more. Therefore, the officials are expected to speed up all the work they want to do in this area and do it faster.

Referring to the discussion of negotiations with the country of Afghanistan, Selajgeh explained: We must first follow the discussion of moistening Hamun, because if the bottom of the lagoon is moistened, the amount of dust will also decrease. Even if the water conditions are not suitable and the neighboring government repeats this issue many times, the release of water should be done at least enough to moisten the ground.

The head of the Environmental Protection Organization said: expert meetings are held between the two countries, and the last meeting was held on August 29. This topic will continue in the form of a time calendar. In the discussion of negotiations, the presence of local communities is very effective. The other party comes to meetings with a suitable approach. The opposite party has come to the conclusion that if it is blue, it should be released and there is no doubt in this regard. When the rains occur and the upstream catchment has adequate storage, the release will also be done.

Realization of Hirmand’s claim, a condition for accepting the Taliban as the official government of Afghanistan

Also, Mohammad Najafi, the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated in this context: One of the problems that exists in the way of allocating Iran’s title to Hirmand is the lack of establishment of the official government in Afghanistan. So that the current governing body is not recognized as the official government in the international governing bodies. According to these conditions, the condition of accepting the Taliban as the official government of Afghanistan is the fulfillment of Iran’s claim to Hirmand.

The people of Sistan are still waiting for the meetings to be fruitful!

The presence of the responsible bodies in the province, field visits and field discussions with the people, although it can be a strength of heart for the people of the province and also a sign of diligent follow-up of the issues by the officials, but the people of Sistan are no longer satisfied with holding meetings and the presence of the officials, and the unfavorable conditions of the region require that whatever Sooner, the outcome of these meetings and the determination of approvals will be determined in practice, and people will see their results in improving their quality of life.

The dust has cut Sistan’s throat and if something is to be done to control the dust in Iran’s Ahad Strait, it should be done today.