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Natural Disaster Camp Planned in Firouzkuh

At least nine ‘shadow cities’ will be required to accommodate the millions of Tehran residents in times of a natural disaster such as an earthquake
Basic urban infrastructure including water and gas, electricity and telecommunication lines will be made available.
Basic urban infrastructure including water and gas, electricity and telecommunication lines will be made available.

President Hassan Rouhani has decreed that land in Firouzkuh, Tehran Province, comprising 50 hectares, be allocated for the establishment of an emergency camp or a so-called ‘Shadow City.’

The land has been leased to Iran’s Red Crescent Society for 30 years by the Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization which will be in charge of monitoring the operations so as to ensure that it is used for the given purpose.  

Firouzkuh is located northeast of Tehran, in the middle of the Alborz Mountains. In the 2006 census its population was 15,807 with 4334 families.

Amir Mohsen Ziaie, head of the IRCS, told YJC that the land has not been officially handed over yet and construction would begin as soon as the go-ahead is given.

“Tehran requires at least nine such camps to accommodate its millions of residents in times of a natural disaster,” he said. The IRCS will propose other locations to the government.  

Referring to the use of ‘shadow cities’ in normal situations, Ziaie said that the camps can be used for educational purposes to promote training in emergency situations.

The lands being national property cannot be ceded to any organization permanently, but given the requirements of Tehran which faces the risk of natural disasters like earthquakes and floods, such camps will be extended.

Speaking to the Persian Daily ‘Shahrvand’, Morteza Salimi, deputy at the IRCS, said that the first phase of the project would involve creating green spaces in 20% of the area.

“Basic urban infrastructure including water and gas, electricity and telecommunication lines will be made available.”

Shadow cities are marked with certain distinct features including simple structures, general order and discipline, convenient pathways, equal division of spaces for tents and efficient designs to occupy small spaces.    

Emergency camps are aimed at accommodating displaced people due to disasters and provide them with basic life requirements temporarily.

 

Financialtribune.com