Behind the Headlines/April 1

Jamshid Chalangi:

In tonight’s program will look at the continued flooding disaster across Iran’s major cities as some reports suggest that many villages in remote parts of the country have been completely wiped out by the floods.

We speak to our guests Dr Allahyar Kangarlou and Dr Namdar Baghaie who are both among the founding members of Quoqnoos by asking them what do they think about this tragedy and if it could have been averted.

Dr Allahyar Kangarlou:

Natural disasters are part of the reality of life on earth and can happen anywhere on it. We need to find out what the Islamic republic regime has done to face this reality and save the lives of the country’s citizens.

In the United States there is a special organization that employs 12000 staff to monitor weather and other climate changes and they all work with research centers and universities to predictnatural disasters and help people to survive them when they happen.

We ask the Iranian authorities what preventive measures have they taken to face this current disaster? How muchinvestment have they put into the necessary technology that is feely available to predict these natural disasters?

When the Iranian authorities put more emphasis on superstitions and ignorance in dealing with natural disaster and persecute our experts and scientists and imprison them we must expect this kind of consequences form every natural disaster.

Dr Namdar Baghaie:

As Dr Kangarlou quite rightly put it, nowadays we have the scientific knowledge and facilities to foresee these natural disasters. In England where the climate changes are so rapid and harsh, weather forecast can accurately predict these changes for the next five days and warn people about their consequences.

In Iran the weather forecasting organization had already warned about the sudden climate changes but the government had done nothing practically to prevent this disaster and had only issued warnings and statements.

First the regime tried to send the Revolutionary Guard to help the flood hit areas but they could do nothing and now the national army has been asked to enter the scene and help hundred ofvillages that have been swept by the flood. And tens of people have so far perished and many are missing.

This incompetence is the direct result of the lack of organizations and resources that is in the nature of the regime.