Flood in '16 Counties and 1,947 Villages' in Sistan and Baluchestan; Users: Ballot Boxes Arrived but No Aid Provided

A week after the onset of heavy rainfall and flooding in Sistan and Baluchestan province, satellite images show that vast areas of the province are still affected by floods, road blockages, and lack of basic relief supplies. According to the website 'Khabar Online', Ali-Bakhsh Shahbakhsh, head of the Bahookalat district council in Dashtyari county, stated that the county has 184 villages and the Bahookalat district has 74 villages, adding that the access routes to '15 villages' are still blocked, with no access available and 'no relief services provided so far.' This comes as the deputy of the Road Maintenance Organization of Sistan and Baluchestan announced to the IRIB news agency that 'access roads to about 178 villages are blocked' and that reopening them is not possible until the water recedes. Meanwhile, satellite images released from parts of the flood-affected areas of Sistan and Baluchestan indicate that at least '16 counties and 1,947 villages' are involved in this flood and have suffered heavy damage. The director of the crisis management headquarters of Sistan and Baluchestan stated on March 2 that 'according to initial estimates, the flood has caused over 14 trillion rials in damage to the infrastructure of 13 counties in this province, with most of the damage occurring in the areas of roads, electricity, and agriculture, while the lack of roads and broken bridges has made relief efforts possible only by air.' The simultaneous occurrence of floods in various regions of Sistan and Baluchestan and weak relief efforts, coinciding with the parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections, has led to protests among social media users, many of whom wrote that 'ballot boxes were brought, but aid was not possible!' A user on the social media platform X wrote: 'The people of [the region] Dashtyari are waiting for aid and essential items like bread!!! Reports indicate that ballot boxes have reached all villages and voting has taken place....' The head of the Islamic Council of the Bahookalat district also mentioned: 'Yesterday, a helicopter was in the sky; when we inquired, we learned that one of the ministers was present with provincial officials, they just circled in the sky and left, but unfortunately, they did not come down to see the situation of the flood-affected people who went to the ballot boxes by tractor.' Meanwhile, images shared by some social media users indicate that some ballot boxes in this flood-affected province are empty. Voice of America has recently reported on the dire situation of the flood victims in Sistan and Baluchestan and the government's neglect of these critical areas through various written and visual reports on its website, social media, and television broadcasts. Nasser Belideh: The public policy of the Islamic Republic is not to help the people of Sistan and Baluchestan. Collection of public aid for flood victims in various cities of Sistan and Baluchestan. A vehicle trapped in floodwaters after heavy rainfall in the village of Sourmooki. Street flooding in Zahedan after heavy rainfall in Sistan and Baluchestan. Flood in Sistan and Baluchestan; hundreds of villages are besieged, and the situation of over 110,000 people has become critical.