Khuzestan on High Alert

Water and power authorities in the embattled Khuzestan Province have been put on “red alert” until the province’s electricity and water problems are resolved, according to a deputy energy minister.

Speaking at an emergency meeting on Tuesday to address Khuzestan’s water and power supply woes, Sattar Mahmoudi added that the ministry “has to keep its promises to people”, noting that provincial officials are obliged to carry out the ministry’s plans, ILNA reported.

The Energy Ministry announced on Sunday that it would allocate 1 trillion rials ($25 million) to restore power in the southern Khuzestan Province, particularly some water and wastewater treatment plants that have gone off the grid following severe dust storms in the region.

Eleven cities across Khuzestan lost power following intense dust storms, which environmental experts say originated from local hotspots covering more than 350,000 hectares.

At the peak of the dust storms this week, the field of vision in some cities was reduced to a mere 50 meters.

In recent weeks, the severity and intensity of the phenomenon have become reminiscent of dust storms in February 2015, when massive storms hit Khuzestan, locking everyone indoors, crippling the entire oil province and filling emergency rooms with people complaining of breathing difficulties and other ailments.