Determination of Khuzestan Representatives to Question the President and Impeach the Minister of Energy

Majid Naseri-Nejad, head of the Khuzestan Representatives Assembly, criticized the government's performance in combating dust storms on Sunday, February 19, stating that the assembly plans to question the president and is determined to impeach the Minister of Energy. According to ISNA news agency, Naseri-Nejad also commented on the crisis management meeting held on Saturday, February 18, regarding recent issues in Khuzestan, saying: "It seems that nothing beneficial will come from this meeting for the people of Khuzestan. This meeting had no effective output for the people of Khuzestan, and no fundamental steps were taken to solve the province's core problems." Previously, Masoumeh Ebtekar, head of the Environmental Protection Organization, referred to the Interior Minister's report on managing problems in the region, the Minister of Energy's report on efforts to solve water and electricity issues, and the Minister of Agriculture's explanations regarding the ministry's actions in the Saturday meeting, stating: "Ground operations related to planting saplings in 40,000 hectares of the super-critical area in Khuzestan have begun." According to ISNA, Majid Naseri-Nejad mentioned that previous meetings were held, but no serious and effective actions were taken by the government regarding issues and problems in Khuzestan, such as water transfer, dust storms, drying wetlands, desertification, and preventing green lands from turning into deserts. This parliament member noted the nationwide power outage in 11 cities of Khuzestan on February 12, adding: "These problems were predictable and preventable, but unfortunately, the responsible officials did not make accurate predictions, and these issues have affected the people of Khuzestan." He announced that "Khuzestan is on the brink of other crises," pointing out that in previous years, tree-planting and dust control programs were pursued by previous governments, and such actions are not exclusive to this government. Naseri-Nejad criticized the water transfer projects from Khuzestan to other regions of Iran, stating: "The follow-up by Khuzestan representatives in parliament to cancel the secret water resolution has not reached any conclusion because after the establishment of a fact-finding committee regarding inter-basin water transfer projects, the government and the Ministry of Energy have not cooperated with this committee." This parliament member added: "The government claims that this secret resolution is the same as the previous resolution for transferring 570 million cubic meters of water from the headwaters of Khuzestan rivers and that there is no new resolution." He stated that there is a "contradiction" in such government statements and said, "We will pursue the impeachment of the Minister of Energy." According to government critics, the transfer of the Karun River's water in previous years has had detrimental effects on agriculture and drinking water for the people of Khuzestan. The statements of the head of the Khuzestan Representatives Assembly came after Masoumeh Ebtekar defended the performance of Hassan Rouhani's government in combating dust storms and problems in Khuzestan, stating that in addition to identifying dust sources in Khuzestan, countermeasures have been finalized, including tree planting and biological soil stabilization in southern Ahvaz and the Hendijan region. According to Ebtekar, the issue of water supply is also on the agenda of the Ministry of Agriculture, which "needs 450 billion tomans for super-critical areas in Khuzestan, which the government will provide," and based on the promise of the Minister of Agriculture, executive actions will be completed in March and April. In this context, Ziaoddin Shoaee, head of the Dust Control Headquarters, announced on Sunday the commencement of operations to control super-critical dust sources in Khuzestan. According to ISNA, he added that "in Khuzestan, we have 340,000 hectares of dust source production, with 120,000 hectares being critical and 20,000 to 30,000 hectares being super-critical." According to ISNA, Masoumeh Ebtekar, in part of her remarks, pointed out that Iraq and Saudi Arabia are external sources of dust, adding that Turkey's extensive dam construction plan, which holds back 35% of the Tigris and Euphrates waters, will have a significant impact on the Hoor al-Hawizeh and Hoor al-Azim wetlands. The head of the Environmental Protection Organization also mentioned the status of Khuzestan's wetlands, stating that the Hoor al-Azim wetland was completely dry in 2013, but now, with the follow-up of the Ministry of Oil and the Environment, it has been 70% filled with water. Ebtekar also criticized those who, as she described, deliberately try to make the government appear indifferent, and regarding water transfer projects, she stated that "no project has been implemented without an environmental assessment." She referred to the Sabzkouh tunnel to Chahakhor and added: "Due to the intense pressures and severe conflicts they created, we did not allow this project to proceed until they obtain a permit."