TEHRAN, Iran, April 16 (NNN-MNA) – Recent flood damages in Iran are estimated to be 2.5 billion U.S. dollars, Financial Tribune daily reported.
The announcement was made by the Iranian Interior Minister, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, in Iran’s parliament.
“Unprecedented” heavy rainfall and subsequent floods have inundated 25 of Iran’s 31 provinces, since March 19, Rahmani Fazli was quoted as saying.
Agriculture Minister, Mahmoud Hojjati, said, the sub-sectors of agriculture incurred losses of up to 948.9 million U.S. dollars, due to the floods.
“Farms, orchards, livestock, poultry and bee farms were the hardest-hit,” Hojjati told parliament.
Besides, Roads and Urban Development Minister, Mohammad Eslami, put the damages to roads, railroads, bridges and related facilities and infrastructure at 237.22 million dollars.
“More than 14,000 kilometres of roads have suffered damages. About 725 bridges have been totally destroyed,” Eslami was quoted as saying.
According to the Energy Minister, Reza Ardakanian, water and electricity facilities across the flood-stricken provinces suffered 153.3 million dollars in losses.
“Some 2,352 rural areas suffered electricity outages,” said the minister.
“We managed to reconnect all villages, except 35, to the electricity network until now,” Ardakanian said, adding that, “water supply to 3,788 rural areas was cut off during the floods. Right now, the problem persists in only 1.5 percent of these villages.”
Other sectors like industry, mining, business outlets and communication infrastructures have suffered a total loss of 255 million dollars.
Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, ordered to withdraw two billion euros (2.26 billion dollars) from the National Development Fund, to be allocated for alleviating the plight of flood-hit residents and helping rebuild destroyed infrastructures.
The floodings have claimed the lives of at least 76 people.
Officials are warning that, even though floodwaters have receded in most parts of the country, several provinces remain under flood alerts, due to renewed heavy rain.
Ahad Vazifeh, an official with Iran’s Meteorological Organisation, said that, there is a possibility that flash floods could still affect the southern provinces of Fars and Hormozgan, Sistan and Baluchestan in the south-east, as well as, South Khorasan and Khorasan Razavi provinces in the north-east of the country.
Rainfall is also expected to intensify in the south-western Province of Khuzestan, he said.– NNN-MNA