Floods Cause $24m in Losses to Fish Farms

Fish farms across Iran suffered 7.34 trillion rials (more than $24 million) in losses due to recent floods that swept the country, according to director general of Planning and Budget Bureau of Iran Fisheries Organization.
"The floods caused damage to aquafarms and infrastructure. We estimates that more than 7,800 tons of fish were lost in floods," Rajabali Qorbanzadeh was quoted by IRNA as saying.
The official noted that the provinces of Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari with 2,302 tons of lost fish, Kohgilouyeh-Boyerahmad with 2,195 tons and Lorestan with 1,506 tons were the hardest hit.
"Since cold water fish farms are constructed on river banks to access sweet water, these farms, producing trout for the most part, were bore the worst damage."
He added that more than 80% of the damaged fish farms were not insured.    
Flash floods and landslides throughout the country left scores of people dead earlier this month. 
Triggered by heavy rain, the floods took the lives of residents from a number of provinces, including Tehran, Lorestan, Sistan-Baluchestan, Kerman and Yazd, IRNA reported.
Noting that 60 cities are grappling with a summer deluge, secretary-general of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Yaghoub Soleimani said, "Some 60 counties, 516 villages and 85 roads have been affected by the floods."