Accustomed to waves of drought, Iran is this time under water.

The country was affected by new floods after torrential rains which left at least 21 dead in the province of Fars (south) and two people are missing, the Iranian Red Crescent said on Saturday (July 23rd).

"Twenty-one people were killed and two are still missing" in the floods that hit several towns in and around Estehban region in the southern province of Fars, provincial official Hossein Darvichi said. of the Red Crescent, quoted by state television.

Heavy rains fell late Friday afternoon in the towns of Ij and Roodbal, causing flooding, said Yousef Kargar, governor of Estehban province, quoted by the Irna agency, adding that "55 rescue teams had arrived on the scene to participate in the search operations".

>> To see on France24.com: "Iran: the great drought"

“Many locals and visitors had gone to the riverside when they were trapped by the rising waters,” he added.

Videos on social media and local media show cars falling into the Roodball River and being washed away.

Largely arid, Iran has suffered from repeated droughts over the past decade, but also from regular floods due to torrential rains as well as sandstorms that block activity.

Repeated drought 

In January, eight people had already died in the region of Fars, particularly exposed to flooding.

In neighboring Iraq, 12 people died after torrential rains in December 2021.

In 2019, heavy rains in southern Iran killed at least 76 people and caused damage estimated at more than two billion dollars.

Climate change is amplifying drought episodes, threatening food security, experts say.

>> See also: "In Iran, environmental activists face repression"

The climate issue has become a reason for protest for many Iranians in the cities and countryside who suffer from the vagaries of the weather.

In recent months, thousands of people have demonstrated against the drying up of rivers, particularly in central and southwestern Iran.

In mid-July, people were arrested after protesting against the drying up of one of the world's largest hypersaline lakes, Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran, Irna said citing officials.

The drying up of Lake Urmia, which began in the 1990s, is considered an ecological disaster for this mountainous region

Sandstorms have also increased recently, as in the entire Middle East region, forcing administrations to close in many areas of the country.

Storms are composed of particles that can lead to hospitalizations for respiratory discomfort.

Sand and dust storms affect a total of more than 150 countries and regions, with impacts including the environment, health, economy, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

With AFP

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