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| Behzad Jiddi |
In the past few weeks, several floods in the Mugan region of Ardabil province have led to human casualties and material losses.
Behzad Jiddi, an economist and national activist originally from the region, currently living in exile in the United States, discussed both the aftermath of the recent floods and the economic situation of the Mugan region in an interview with Voice of America.
"The heavy rainfall that occurred in recent weeks was unprecedented in the past 30 years. For the last 30 years, there has been scarcity in the region, and unfortunately, in both villages and cities, the rivers and water bodies have encroached upon the settlements. Both structures built by the people and some roads constructed by the state run parallel to the rivers and reach the villages," said Behzad Jiddi.
He believes that one of the main causes of the human casualties in the flood disaster is the improper and uninvestigated placement of roads:
"In some villages in Germi, we even see that the flood swept people off the roads. Unfortunately, they built roads parallel to the river without bridges. The lack of proper investigation in the construction of the roads and the absence of bridges could be the main reasons for the casualties among the population."
Jiddi mentioned that 52 villages in Germi and Bilasuvar suffered damage to homes, with some houses completely destroyed due to the floods. According to him, "many agricultural lands have been damaged, many animals have died, and crops have been destroyed. Unfortunately, the state institutions in the region also face a budget shortage and are unable to do anything."
He drew attention to the sharp decline in the population of Mugan over the last 30 years, saying, "There is almost no industrial sector in Mugan. The region's economy relies solely on agriculture and the service sector. By service sector, I mean government agencies and the private sector. Agriculture is considered primary. In the Germi region, agriculture is dependent on rainfall. Due to water scarcity over the last 30 years, farmers have become impoverished, and due to the lack of capacity in the service sector, people are forced to migrate from the region."
Jiddi added, "From 1996 to 2016, the last general census in Iran, the population of Germi county decreased by approximately 44% within 20 years. More than 20 villages have been completely deserted and have no residents. In more than 50 villages, only a few houses remain, and they are inhabited by elderly people... The population has been forced to migrate for work to cities like Tehran or Rasht. Most of them are young people, especially men. Women stay in the region... All of this is the consequence of poverty and discrimination in the region. There is a general deprivation in the area, poor quality of authorities, but the budget shortage and budget inequality have had the greatest impact, keeping the region very poor."
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Behzad Ciddi: Muğan bölgəsinin yoxsulluğu İrandakı büdcə ayrı-seçkiliyinin nəticəsidir