Tehran, Iran, March 25
Trend:
The flood-hit areas in Golestan and Mazandaran provinces of Iran have deeply effected the local residents, the living conditions in the mentioned areas are critical.
Some experts have previously predicted the flood, but no action was made to prevent the disaster.
The Governor of Golestan province Manaf Hashemi was absent traveling abroad while the incident occurred, and subsequently was fired from his job by Iran's Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri.
Iranian MP Gholamali Jafarzadeh Iman Abadi, representing the northern city of Rasht has discussed the issue in an interview with Trend.
"The science has improved so much that many incidents can be predicted before they even happen. The flood in Golestan and Mazandaran provinces, has been predicted before," he said.
"It is true that the dams wouldn't prevent the flood, but if the local officials would have managed the dams and set control over the water flow by opening their gates, the current damages could've been less by 70 percent," said the MP.
He further spoke about the Governor of Golestan province Manaf Hashemi being absent during the times of the disaster.
"Some things are important in this case. The governor was said to be absent because he had to attend to some family issues, however a lot of ordinary people have cancelled their trips to help those affected by flood. It was expected that the governor would return to the region faster, but he didn't, and this eventually led to his dismissal," Abadi explained.
"The second issue was lack of official presence among those affected by flood. With all the respect to the officials, they should have come to the area earlier and they should also know that riding on helicopter does not help people," he added.
Abadi indicated that prior to the flood in Golestan, 16 reports were sent to the National Agency for Disaster Countermeasures, which is responsible for preventing such disasters.
"It isn't right that first the disaster hits the area, and the officials come to the scene," the MP said.
He also noted the lack of comprehensive leadership in flood-hit areas.
"Everyone is doing whatever they thing is right, while managing such a crisis requires expertise," said Abadi.
Over 56,000 people have been affected in at least 70 villages in Golestan and more than 200 in Mazandaran. At least five people have been killed.