Governor of Rigan: 80 Villages in Kerman Province at Risk of Destruction

The governor of Rigan, a city in Kerman Province, has announced that 16 villages in this county have been buried under 'moving sands', warning of the depopulation of eastern Kerman Province. According to the local website 'Sobhe Kavir', Amin Bagheri made this statement on Tuesday, May 17, during a press conference. Mr. Bagheri stated that 'due to the invasion of moving sands and dust storms, 16 villages in this county have sunk into the sand and have become uninhabited and abandoned,' resulting in 'over 320 billion rials in damages.' He indicated that these villages were located on the edge of a 'wind erosion crisis' zone, where agriculture, animal husbandry, and employment have been completely destroyed. As this official announced, 80 other villages are completely surrounded by moving sands, which, if not controlled, will also sink into the sand. He also warned that if the moving sands and dust storms are not controlled, eastern Kerman Province will be destroyed and uninhabited. A 20-year drought, along with frequent sandstorms and desert expansion in eastern Kerman Province, has become a serious threat to the villages, cities, and counties in this region. Kerman Province is located on a desert belt and does not benefit much from the country's average rainfall, and efforts to combat the spread of moving sands in this province have not been very fruitful. With the drying up of the 'Hamoun' lake in Sistan and Baluchestan, the 120-day winds from Sistan have also extended beyond and indirectly affected Kerman. According to announced financial statistics, annual sandstorms impose significant costs due to damage to social and economic infrastructure in Kerman Province.