Iran Gears Up for Spring Floods: Energy Minister


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Minister of Energy Reza Ardakanian said the country is fully prepared for possible floods in the springtime.

Considering the weather forecasts suggesting that the scene is set for heavy rainfalls in some parts of Iran in the coming weeks, the necessary preparations have been made to handle the situation, Ardakanian said on Sunday.

He said given the experience of flash floods that occurred in spring 2019, the Energy Ministry has made efforts to manage the conditions of the dams more carefully. “At present, 40 percent of the 50 billion cubic meter capacity of the country’s dams is empty, which means enough capacity to receive spring floods.”  

The minister called on people to avoid staying in areas near the banks of rivers within the next couple of weeks, saying the ministry is trying to get the most out of the possible flood waters and to get through a possible natural disaster with minimum damages.